Despite a dip in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2009, Americans continue to drive more and farther, despite some mistaken assumptions about Millennial travel behavior.

There has been a lot of hope in some circles that American Millennials would drive less than generations past, according to a study paper the National Bureau of Economic Research. That isn’t happening. “Controlling for factors like marriage and living in city, it finds that Americans born between 1980 and 1984 are just as likely to own cars compared to, say, their parents’ cohort,” Laura Bliss writes for CityLab.
Looking at the raw aggregate numbers, some might argue that Millennials drive less, but when you compare similar groups of Millennials and Baby Boomers, that story doesn’t hold up. “An uncontrolled comparison suggests that Millennials are traveling less than their predecessors were by the same age. But, when factors like educational attainment, marital status, number of children, and whether they’ve settled in a city are factored in, it turns out [Millennials] actually rack up slightly more VMT than Baby Boomers did,” Bliss reports.
It is true that Millennials are more concerned about environmental issues. "But, the authors of the NBER paper write, Millennials '…operate under many of the same constraints as prior generations'—that is, with spread-out cities, a lack of transit service, lengthy commutes, and a broad social expectation that a car is how you get from A to B," Bliss writes.
FULL STORY: Despite ‘Car-Free’ Hype, Millennials Drive a Lot

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont