According to a recent Realtor.com article, some of the same generational changes that are affecting the housing market are also altering driving, trends which is perhaps more fundamental to American life.
The report stated that it’s common knowledge that younger folks are putting off becoming homeowners due to severe financial constraints. Less attention is paid to the fact that they are also delaying car ownership and driving less in general. In the meantime, a growing number of older persons are anticipated to age out of driving as more Americans age in place, creating pressing concerns about mobility and independence.
The future of housing could be significantly impacted by that subtle retreat from the driver’s seat. The majority of new homes are still constructed for a lifestyle that believes a car is not only desirable but also necessary, despite the growing demand for neighborhoods where everyday life may be lived on foot or by transportation.
Changes in Trends
In the world of urban planning, it was long widely accepted that traffic would constantly increase. However, the data already points to a different conclusion.
The Federal Highway Administration reports that since 2019, the number of vehicle miles driven per person has decreased by 2.3%. Additionally, the average American now drives almost 5% less than they did twenty years ago, demonstrating that the gradual decline in reliance on cars had already begun before the COVID-19 pandemic altered everyday schedules.
Younger adults are particularly affected by this tendency. This group’s automobile travel fell by 19% between 2001 and 2017—nearly twice as much as their elder counterparts. The change picked up considerably more speed between 2017 and 2022: According to UCLA research, daily travel among young individuals decreased by over 50%.
Further, although visiting the DMV was once associated with turning sixteen, this is no longer the case. According to data from the Department of Transportation, just 1 in 25 licensed drivers are 19 years of age or younger, a significant decrease from ten years ago.
These developments are said to be influenced by remote work, online purchasing, and the growth of streaming services. Simply put, fewer people are leaving the house. To be fair, public transportation ridership has also been impacted by this trend: According to federal data, the number of public transportation trips has decreased by 23% nationwide since 2019.
“In my view, you can’t have real affordability without having good transportation options,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said at the 2025 Let America Build panel at SXSW. “So, as part of the corridor on [Austin’s light] rail line, we have passed zoning changes related to transit-oriented development that will bring about those kinds of changes.”
To put it differently, if cities don’t prepare for it now, they run the possibility of trapping millions of elderly citizens in areas meant for automobiles rather than senior citizens. However, they run the risk of making an already difficult-to-afford younger generation’s situation worse. Therefore, transit-oriented development becomes a means for cities to maintain affordability and independence for everyone, not only a tool to combat climate change.
