As we venture into the second quarter of 2025, we're seeing trends emerge in the transportation space –– and they're already influencing what residents look for in a home.

The evolution we're witnessing marks a fundamental change in how people move around cities and what they expect from their living spaces. For multifamily property owners and managers, staying ahead of these transportation shifts is essential for maintaining competitive properties, maximizing NOI, and ensuring resident satisfaction. The properties that adapt quickly will thrive, while those that don't will risk falling behind.

Let's explore the four major transportation trends of 2025 that are having the biggest impact on multifamily properties, and how you can position your property to benefit from them.

EV adoption has moved beyond early adopters

Electric vehicles are no longer just for tech enthusiasts and environmentalists. They've gone mainstream.

In 2024, full-year EV sales reached 1.3 million units, an increase of 7.3% from 2023. By the end of 2024, more than 700,000 EVs were sold in just the second half of the year, accounting for 8.7% of total new vehicle sales.

And 2025 is showing even stronger momentum:

• January's new electric vehicle sales volume reached 102,243 units, up 29.9% year over year
• Used EV sales jumped 30.5% in the same month
• Cox Automotive projects that by the end of 2025, as many as one in four vehicles sold in the U.S. will be electrified

This rapid growth means that EV charging is transitioning from a luxury amenity to a necessity for competitive properties. Residents have gone from hoping for EV charging options to expecting them. According to a recent Greystar report, 5% of potential residents won't even consider renting without EV charging, and another 27% list it as a desirable amenity.

Regulatory pressures are mounting, too

Many states have adopted regulations requiring new multifamily constructions to be "EV ready." California, for example, will require all new builds to include EV charging infrastructure, and "right to charge" laws are giving residents more leverage to request charging accommodations.

Regardless of regulations, the financial case for EV charging at apartment buildings is becoming increasingly compelling:

• Tax incentives for installing EV chargers on multifamily properties can significantly offset installation costs
• Units with dedicated EV charging command 5-8% higher rental rates
• EV charging creates a new revenue stream for property owners if monetized effectively. 

If you haven't already evaluated your property's EV readiness, now is the time. The upfront investment in charging infrastructure is becoming more manageable as battery prices plummet (this year will mark the steepest decline since 2017), making electric vehicles increasingly affordable for your residents.

Micromobility is transforming urban movement

While cars remain central to transportation, micromobility options — bikes, e-bikes, e-skateboards, and e-scooters — are redefining how people navigate urban environments and solve the "last mile" problem between public transit and final destinations.

The shift toward micromobility is significant:

• 1 in 10 Americans rarely or never drive a car, according to Pew Research
• 18% of adults living in urban areas seldom or never drive

For multifamily properties, this shift creates both challenges and opportunities. Your residents increasingly need safe, dedicated spaces to store and charge their micromobility devices. Without proper infrastructure, hallways and parking garages become cluttered with bikes, and electrical outlets become overloaded with charging devices.

Partnership opportunities are expanding

Forward-thinking property managers are going beyond just providing storage. They're forming partnerships with micromobility providers to offer value-added services for residents. While the seeds for this were planted around 2019, it’s continuing its rise in 2025. 

Dedicated fleets of e-bikes or e-scooters exclusively for residents are becoming a hot new amenity. It’s already considered a “must-have amenity” for hotels, and the trend is spreading to multifamily now, too. 

Real estate developers who anticipate this trend and design today's properties with micromobility in mind will have the most desirable properties on tomorrow's market.

Properties can turn this into a revenue-generating machine by establishing revenue-sharing models with micromobility startups, similar to the kickbacks that properties often get from EV charging fees. 

Ridesharing and autonomous vehicles are on the rise

Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft have been gaining steady traction over the past decade. Now, autonomous vehicles are accelerating these changes and shaking things up even more in the shared mobility space. 

Autonomous rideshare services like Waymo are rapidly expanding:

• Waymo is currently operating in 4 major cities, with expansion planned for at least 2 more in 2025 
• They've completed more than 5 million autonomous trips in total, with 4 million paid trips in 2024 alone — a sevenfold increase from November 2023
• Amazon's Zoox is also in the process of launching their robotaxi service

By 2040, the expected Shared Autonomous Vehicle (SAV) population is 26.4 million. 

So while they won’t be close to their inflection point in 2025, that time is rapidly approaching, and multifamily properties need to strategically prepare.

Since autonomous vehicles are likely to increase the use of rideshare, dedicated pickup/dropoff zones for rideshare services will become even more important. But perhaps the biggest impact will be on car ownership. Each car-sharing vehicle in a property has been shown to replace ownership of 9-13 private vehicles.

Transit-oriented development continues to gain momentum

Properties near public transit have always commanded premium prices, but government initiatives are accelerating this trend. Transit-oriented Development (or TOD) initiatives are aimed at creating compact, walkable communities within walking distance (0.25-0.5 miles) of quality public transportation. 

The Build More Housing Near Transit Act seeks to address America's housing shortage by incentivizing local governments to build more housing near federally funded transit projects.

In October 2024, the Federal Transit Administration announced the availability of about $10.5 million for 11 projects in 10 states for transit-oriented development planning grants. Applications with a substantial focus on affordable housing can receive 100% federal support.

This is a trend that those in the multifamily industry definitely want to keep an eye on. Since housing near metro hubs is in high demand, residents are much more willing to pay higher rent. Typically, rent and property values of housing near transit centers are 10-20% higher than similar homes further away. On top of the higher rents, properties near transit hubs can market their proximity as a valuable amenity, keeping occupancy higher. 

More innovative properties may even want to explore creating transit incentive programs for residents that provide free or discounted fares. This is a popular perk for employees, so who’s to say it can’t be implemented in multifamily properties for residents? 

The common thread: building less parking

What ties almost all these trends together? They all point toward a reduced need for parking in multifamily developments. In fact, in some states, these reductions are now mandated.

This evolution creates both challenges and opportunities for property managers:

• The challenge: Transitioning from traditional parking models to more flexible systems that can adapt to changing resident needs
• The opportunity: Repurposing underutilized parking spaces for more valuable amenities or additional units

This is precisely why flexible parking management systems like Parkade are becoming essential. Whether you’re dealing with a surplus of parking, leaving spaces unused, or a shortage, leaving your residents with no spaces, Parkade helps you navigate this transition seamlessly, allowing you to:

• Adapt flexibly to fluctuating parking needs
• Avoid shortages, headaches, and resident complaints
• Generate revenue from spaces that might otherwise sit empty
• Easily accommodate EV charging, rideshare zones, and micromobility storage 

As transportation continues to evolve, the multifamily properties that thrive will be those that embrace flexibility in their parking and transportation amenities. The days of one-size-fits-all parking are over. The future belongs to adaptable systems that can evolve alongside resident needs.

Ready to prepare your property for the transportation trends of 2025 and beyond? Contact our team to learn how Parkade can help you maximize the value of your parking while enhancing the resident experience.

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