Beyond the Commute: Long-Term Impacts and Behavioral Roots of U.S. Car Dependence | Lecture by Huê-Tâm Jamme
An ARCHES and School of Landscape Architecture and Planning Lecture Series Event
Huê-Tâm Jamme will present research exploring the deep behavioral roots and long-term impacts of U.S. car dependence on individual well-being and social equity. The presentation will highlight a study conducted in the Phoenix metropolitan region, supported by the Arizona Research Center for Housing and Economic Solutions (ARCHES), which demonstrates that housing location and commuting time significantly shape racial wealth and time disparities. For instance, longer commutes exacerbate time poverty among Hispanic Non-White households.
Additionally, Jamme will share three major findings from a national survey of U.S. urban and suburban residents. First, high levels of car dependence are associated with lower life satisfaction, revealing broader consequences for subjective well-being. Second, car dependence it is deeply rooted in early transportation habits: the mode adults used to commute to school in 5th grade continues to influence their current transportation behaviors, as well as those of their children. Finally, although fewer than 10% of U.S. households do not own a car today (typically out of necessity), the survey shows that one in five Americans is interested in a car-free lifestyle, suggesting sizable, untapped demand for alternative mobility options.
Jamme will conclude with policy recommendations aimed at reducing car dependence, including expanded housing and mobility options, parking reform, and initiatives to encourage sustainable school travel from a young age. This work underscores the need for integrated strategies to create more equitable, healthy, and sustainable transportation systems in the United States.
Watch the Lecture
About Huê-Tâm Jamme
Huê-Tâm Jamme’s research focuses on mobility transitions—shifts from one dominant set of transportation technologies, habits, norms, policies, and infrastructure to another. Specifically, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, she studies how emerging mobilities, such as car-based mobility in the Global South or bicycling in North America, influence individual well-being, economic opportunities, and social inclusion. Her work has been published in the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA), Transportation Research, and Applied Geography, among others. She received the Rising Scholar Award and the Best Dissertation Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), and the American Planning Association's (APA) Emerging Scholar Award for her article “Productive friction: A theory of mobility and street commerce grounded in Vietnam’s urbanism” (JAPA, 2024).
Jamme holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Development from the University of Southern California and a n M.A. and B.A. in Political Science from Sciences Po Rennes.
Header image courtesy Huê-Tâm Jamme.
