Cities and Cars

Americans for years have treated the automobile as a form of freedom. People can now live in the country and work in the city. Suburbia and shopping malls were made possible by the automobile. And none of this would have been possible without huge legal and financial commitments made by all levels of government to expand America's interstate freeway systems, regional highways, expressways, arterials, commercial avenues, and residential streets. Our society now has a number of significant diseconomies associated with the individual use of the automobile. Traffic congestion and pollution in inner cities have led to a new wave of policies and practices to improve these conditions. The focus of public officials and citizens in most large urban centers is on public mass transportation, such as trains, light-rail systems, and the increased use of buses. In the interim, traffic management practices have increased in importance. This volume collects outstanding recent essays on all aspects of this complex subject. It includes numerous case studies on how cities, towns, and communities throughout the nation are managing the unrestricted use of the personal automobile. Other chapters discuss the future of urban transportation and examine evolving trends. Also included are appendices containing important information in the field.