San Francisco's Housing Craze: More People Fewer Cars

Something strange is taking place in the City by the Bay. It's not just experiencing a growth in carless households—carless households are actually replacing those with cars.

2 minute read

August 18, 2014, 9:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


San Francisco Parking

Moreno Novello / Shutterstock

We've read that driving has been declining and that Americans are owning fewer cars, particularly among Millennials in major urban centers. Nowhere in the U.S. may this be more true than in San Francisco.

"Between 2000 and 2012, the city has seen a net increase of 11,139 households, and 88 percent of them have been car-free. That’s according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by Michael Rhodes, a transportation planner at Nelson\Nygaard and a former Streetsblog reporter," writes Aaron Bialick, editor of Streetsblog San Francisco.

This is not the result of an increase in housing without parking, though at least one, 12-unit apartment building planned without parking has been proposed in the Mission District as we noted two years ago (based on an article by Bialick). Rather, it's evidence that building housing without parking will attract households without cars.

The increase in carless households also results from existing households shedding cars, perhaps made possible by "expanded bike lanescar-share services, and improved taxi service (besides the new 'ride-share' apps like Uber and Lyft)," according to Livable City Executive Director Tom Radulovich. He also notes that "Muni, BART, and Caltrain ridership have also increased to record levels over the years."

And then there are the notorious tech buses and shuttles (that many San Franciscans love to blame for the city's gentrification) that enable car-free living.

The next change will hopefully be in the city's planning department, if they greenlight carless housing. 

Friday, August 15, 2014 in S.F. Streetsblog

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

May 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2, 2025 - SD News

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Pump station with blue pipes coming out of concrete wall in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater

The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.

35 minutes ago - City Observatory

Sign for Deschutes National Forest in Oregon.

Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest

The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.

2 hours ago - The New York Times

Seeing the Better City

Is This Urbanism?

Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.

3 hours ago - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

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.