Transportation
Durham’s Plan to ‘Nudge’ Drivers Out of Cars
Behavioral science strategies like offering prizes are getting people into public transit.
There are 19,000 parking spots in downtown Durham, North Carolina, and an estimated 3,700 more on the way to satisfy driver demand. But if the city can help it, drivers could be “nudged” out of taking a car solo to the urban core.
Durham was one of nine American cities that won $1 million from the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ U.S. Mayors’ Challenge, announced on Monday at CityLab Detroit. Over the next three years, the city will use the money to try to shift downtown commuters out of their cars, with a touch of behavioral science.