On the Right Track: The 10 Most Improved Cities In the U.S. for Transit, Walking, and Biking

Today we're looking at the United States' most improved cities when it comes to reducing car dependency. I used census data (American Community Survey) to identify the cities that had improved the most in the percentage of people walking, biking, and taking transit between 2010 and 2019 -- and some of the winners (and LOTS and LOTS of dishonorable mentions) may surprise you!

And, I dig into a bit of research and theorize about what changed over 10-15 years to propel the behavior change in each of the ten cities I identified. The video includes plenty of before-and-after time slider imagery to help illustrate the changes -- and in a lot of cases, we're talking about new density, apartments and condos, and general YIMBY-NIMBY dynamics around walkability and transit-oriented development.

I had a lot of fun making this one -- hope you enjoy!

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Twitter: @nerd4cities
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CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)

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[pauld]

I've lived in Seattle since 1984, before the Downtown Transit Tunnel opened. I used to sit on busses stuck in traffic on 3rd Avenue, taking 20-30 minutes to get from James Street to Pike Street. Now, light rail gets me from Pioneer Square to Capitol Hill in 8 minutes. Seeing that kind of transit improvement makes me a fan of urbanism.

[crystalriley]

As a lifelong Chicagoan, I can say that over the years, our public transportation has improved. Not only by access but by hosting events like the Holiday train and bus. Decorating the buses and trains, Santa driving, elves with gifts, and Christmas music, the kids loved it.

[ryanbobber]

List of Cities:
10: New York City 4:30
9: Salt Lake City 5:13
8: Boston 5:52
7: Portland 6:25
6: Jersey City 7:20
5: Fremont, CA 8:05
4: Chicago 8:48
3: San Francisco 9:45
2: Oakland, CA 13:20
1: Seattle 14:40

[kendallium]

Friendly neighborhood Seattle tech bro here. What made me care about urbanism so much was simply moving to Seattle. I realized how much better life could be by not being car dependent. Seattle is good but has a long way to go. the strides they have made should be commended and I think myself and others just REALLY want to see the momentum continue. it behooves us to be active and keep the pressure up.

[ianswopeexhibits]

I was biking into Boston for most of your study period. The changes have been dramatic. I remember listening incredulously when Mayor Menino said he was going to turn Boston into a bike friendly city. But 15 years later… It’s made a huge difference. The T on the other hand, has taken a real hit due to the debt it took on due to the big dig.

[collingriebling]

As someone who moved from Houston to the Seattle area this past year, I’d say migration is a not inconsequential part of this. My wife and I made a conscious decision to move to our area from Texas. Since coming here I’ve talked with a fair few people (fellow teachers) who have mentioned that they’ve noticed people leaving Washington for places like Idaho and Texas for political reasons but also people coming from those states to Washington. And for those wondering, I don’t miss Houston for a second. My wife and I joke about, “Wow, there are actually sidewalks here.”

[naveensatija]

Moving to Seattle is what got me interested in this topic and how I found your channel. Living my entire life in a CA suburb, I never understood how important a car free lifestyle was until I made the move and sold my car.

[shelbyrobinson]

As a Seattliete, I was not surprised at all by this! We've made great improvements throughout all and many are still along the way. Urbanism is embedded within the culture here. Seattle has many walkable neighborhoods even outside of the downtown core which helps solidify the cities views on urbanism.

[fatbaby]

Living in Seattle for almost the entirety of my life I think what helps push this need for transit and walkability is that there's no room for an I-5 expansion and we've watched traffic get more and more horrendous so really our only option is to improve our transit system since we can't just build more freeways like places in California and TX.

[danielfay]

As someone who lives in Seattle (and is one of the aforementioned tech workers), I think Seattle has really gotten a lot right with transit. They are certainly not perfect in many ways, but prioritizing transit efforts and allowing for extensive development in the central urban zones has really helped a ton. Also, I know the reputation of tech workers is that they are rich and kind of out of touch with a lot of the more general needs, but in my experience everyone I work with is hugely in favor of the transit changes. Most people walk or bike to work (and are massively opposed to changes that would require us to drive), and people in general love living in dense, lively urban environments. I for one own a car, but I mostly bike or walk to places within the city (weather permitting), and use transit if going to big events, downtown, etc. I previously lived in Phoenix and then Houston, so this is the first walkable city I've ever lived in and I absolutely love it.

[greendolphin]

Wake up babe, new CityNerd video just dropped

[gopalparam]

Dear Sir, I am writing from India and I wholeheartedly agree with almost all your ideas. I also enjoy your easygoing deadpan humour. I lived in Seattle without a car from the mid 1980's for nearly three decades. I can say with confidence that one of the main reasons that I could retire in India (albeit with a limited income) was due to the simple fact that I never gave into the temptation of buying an automobile. I also participated actively with other transit oriented citizens in advocating for Sound Transit light rail, which faced a lot of headwind from powerful real estate lobby, both within the city and especially in the wealthier eastside suburbs. But due to the vision of the citizens and the firmness of some of the local elected officials, the light rail has became a reality. I rejoice when I see from afar that how things are changing for the better in Seattle. Keep up the good work.

[Lowspecgames-lrqz]

So about 1% of Seattle's total population watched at least one of your videos.. considering the size of the city that's impressive

[jonathansykes]

10. New York 4:25
9. Salt Lake City 5:15
8. Boston 5:56
7. Portland 6:28
6. Jersey City 7:33
5. Fremont 8:13
4. Chicago 9:00
3. San Francisco 9:45
2. Oakland 13:28
1. Seattle 14:46

[pistol]

I live in Seattle and once I bought an E-bike, it really changed my life. Even if you have a car and are commuting intra-city, an E-bike is superior. It's just faster in all cases and much less stressful than driving. I own a car but my bike is my primary mode of transportation. My car is mainly for traveling out of town to go hiking and roam around the state.

[seth_deegan]

I went to Seattle this summer. I'm from Chicago and you can tell, they're on their A game. Huge props to them for all they've done and are looking to complete.

[Madaboutmada]

I am honestly shocked that Minneapolis didn't make the list. So much has gone into all three modes and the wayfinding is excellent. Also, kudos to my favorite city, Chicago. They've done so much for bicyclists over the past decade, largely lead by my old professor at UIC 🙂

[goattnder]

It'd be really cool to see some deep dive videos. Take a city that's trying but failing to be less car dependent, see what they're doing right and what they're doing wrong. Like you mentioned, LA is trying, but it's failing badly. It would be fascinating to see more detail of how and where they could conceivably improve.

[ryantrippel]

Happy to see that Chicago is 3rd on your list in per capita viewership. Hopefully it means that the desire here for dense, walkable, carfree communities is bigger than it feels. Really stung when our mayor last year claimed that Chicago is a “car city”. Hopefully we can turn it around

[Spac_Man]

Went from a two car Texas suburbanite to a zero car urban dweller thanks to your channel (and a couple others)…never going back to that kind of sprawl.