i read the first page and then skipped to the last. This question of "what can we do to make fewer people feel like they don't need one" is to basically ban them from downtown/high pedestrian traffic areas. redo parking lots to relegate trucks/SUVs to last row/farthest from door parking enforced with civil fines. lower the height of parking garages a few inches to make it impossible for them to enter. Another big deterrent would have be insurance costs. if trucks are truly hitting more pedestrians then it seems natural that premiums would be higher. now i am not championing those things (I drive a truck), but it would take some very heavy handed tactics to change things so that trucks were relegated back to 'work only' status and not used as daily drivers for city folk. I doubt this will happens as most American cities reactions to traffic/parking is just build more lanes/spaces. it's way more convenient to me in the short term, but likely unsustainable long term as city populations continue to rise along with their 'burbs and there are no incentives (good or bad) to reduce driving other than some jobs extending WFH.
I drive a truck (plain Sierra 2WD 1500) mostly because the cab is big and my 6'7'' frame fits in nicely (no sunroof though, those make the cab too short). Me putting my seat all the way back still leaves a little room for the kids in the back seat. All mid size and some full size sedans leave no room in the back seat if the front seats are pushed all the way back. It's 99% a kid hauler and we take all road trips in my truck. Used to trucks were way cheaper than a big 'luxury' sedan that had a real back seat and spacious front seats. That's not really the case anymore i guess. The Toyota Tundra Crewmax had the absolute biggest back seats and most room between front seats and back seats. loved that truck but it legit got 13mpg or so.