High Gas Prices Drive Commuters Back to the City
Rising gas prices may be changing more than Americans’ driving habits; they may be on the brink of changing where and how we live. Since the end of World War II, Americans have been leaving the cities for suburbia, and then exurbia, seeking more space for less money. But high gas prices may be reversing that half-century trend—or at least slowing it down.
More and more commuters are thinking about trading suburban sprawl for urban chic as skyrocketing gas prices continue to increase the cost of making a long drive twice a day, adding a serious financial burden to the general misery of commuting.
“Living closer in, in a smaller space, where you don’t have that commute, it’s definitely something we talk about,” said Phil Boyle, who told The New York Times that he and his wife must drive nearly an hour to their jobs in Denver. “Before it was ‘we spend too much time driving.’ Now, it’s ‘we spend too much time and money driving.’ ”
In 2003, the average suburban household spent $1,422 on gasoline every year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By April 2008, when gasoline was selling for around $3.60 per gallon, that household expense had grown to $3,196 annually.
According to a recent survey of 903 real estate agents, 78 percent of prospective home buyers are now inclined to choose city living because of high fuel prices.
If this reverse migration back to the city continues, it could help to revitalize many urban areas and change the way America lives, works, and drives.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Read more:
- Fuel Prices Shift Math for Life in Far Suburbs – The New York Times
- Home Buying Practices Adjust to High Gas Prices – Associated Press
- One Way to Handle Gas Prices: Move – CNNMoney.com
Comments
There is another option beside moving back to the city to fight the high cost of gas. Office workers can telecommute from Remote Office Centers. A Remote Office Center provides office facilities and internet to workers from different companies in shared centers located in the suburbs. There is a free web site for people who want to find a remote office near where they live.
http://www.remoteofficecenters.com
With the price of fuel as high as it is, people are going to have to more closer to work or move the office closer to home.
Urban sprawl devours habitat. That’s the biggest threat to the environment. Maybe there is a silver lining to this energy cloud.