While freedom to most 16 year old teenagers in America usually meant a car in their parents suburban towns, that trend seems to be changing.

The younger generation is increasingly seeking to live and work in denser communities where they can ditch their cars and walk over to get a coffee, according to the new study by GWL Realty Advisors.

The study was conducted in Canada, though these trends seem to fit across the border too.

The study says that the “knowledge economy” tends to be attracted to dense urban areas and is more interested in consuming experiences (rather than focusing on acquiring consumer goods). A great meal and concert seem to more desired than owning a third flat screen television.

Even at work, the study claims, that greater productivity seems to occur in dense urban areas. “Workers value the ability to discuss ideas over coffee at a hip café or lunch at a sushi bar. Evidence increasingly shows that fresh, ground-breaking ideas tend to emerge from spending time outside of an office in a multi-faceted urban milieu. Suburban isolation does not fit many knowledge economy sectors’ location needs nor those of the talent they wish to attract.”

This, in turn, has lead to the growth of “amenity-rich neighborhoods” within walking distances from work.

As more and more women get college degrees and join the workforce, apartment dwelling also seems to be consequently rising. In fact, for most families with one or two children, with two working parents, parents are discovering that living in a low maintenance home with a short commute allows for more family time.

“Apartment living close to work frees up time for a working mother (or father) to spend more time with their child, rather than commuting, doing yard work or home maintenance,” the study says.

The younger generation also seems to be more conscious of the price of oil, family time, and the environment — further pushing them towards more walkable and transit-oriented lifestyle.

In fact, the study noted, the younger generation see electronic and social media devices (smart phones, laptops, etc) far more as an expression of freedom, than a car.

“In the United States, kilometers driven by 18–34 year olds is declining, and this is likely the case in Canada as well (Neff, 2010),” the study said. “Younger generations seem to have less interest in automotive use, making apartment living in dense, walkable and transit-oriented urban areas a more natural fit for their lifestyles.”

Walkable, denser communities are the best way to reduce our energy consumption and ween ourselves off foreign oil. Shorter commutes lead to less driving, and smaller homes lead to less consumption. And if that can all lead to more shared experiences and increased family time — we’re not sure why everyone doesn’t hop on board!

“The economy is different now. It no longer revolves around simply making and moving things. Instead, it depends on generating and transporting ideas. The places that thrive today are those with the highest velocity of ideas, the highest density of talented and creative people… Velocity and density are not words that many people use when
describing the suburbs. The economy is driven by key urban areas. ” The study, quotes Richard Florida saying in the The Great Reset. We couldn’t agree more.