Survey Says: U.S. Homebuyers, Especially Gen Z, Want Walkable Neighborhoods

Generation Z is leading a new push toward walkable communities, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors.

1 minute read

July 3, 2023, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Pedestrians and Walkable Street

Nicole S Glass / Shutterstock

American homebuyers have a strong preference for homes in walkable neighborhoods, according to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) recently published “2023 Community and Transportation Preferences Survey.”

“Seventy-nine percent of respondents rate walkability as “very” or “somewhat” important, and 78% say they’d pay more for a home in a walkable community, the survey shows,” according to an article by Realtor Magazine that shares details about the survey’s findings. “Young adults prioritize walkability the most, with 90% of Gen Z and millennial respondents indicating they’d pay more for a home in a walkable community; a third say they’d ‘pay a lot more.’”

The survey also debunks a common narrative that the pandemic revealed a preference for the automobile dependent neighborhoods of sprawl. “Walkability became more of a focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, but demand has only grown since,” according to the article. Still, despite those reported preferences, domestic migration trends show population declining in many of the country’s more urban areas, with more people arriving on the outskirts of metropolitan areas.

More details about the survey and its findings are available at the NAR website.

An infographic detailing findings of the 2023 Community and Transportation Preferences Survey.
Findings from the NAR 2023 Community and Transportation Preference Survey (Image courtesy of NAR and the Realtor Party)

 

Tuesday, June 27, 2023 in Realtor Magazine

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