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.

Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science.

Edited by Roger L. Kemp

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 278
Bibliographic Info: glossary, references, appendices, index
Copyright Date: 2007
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2919-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Preface      1

PART I: CITIES AND CARS      7
PART II: THE BEST PRACTICES      39
PART III: THE FUTURE      215

Glossary      241
U.S. Periodicals Focusing on Urban Transportation      243
U.S. Research Centers and Libraries Focusing on Urban Transportation      245
Regional Resource Directory      247
National Resource Directory      255
About the Editor and Contributors      261
Index      263

• “focus[es] on ways to cope with the problems of car-oriented cities in the US and improve the quality of life…full of ideas. The index is excellent and quite helpful. Recommended. All transportation and urban studies collections”—Choice
• “if I were a town planner I’d get me a copy”—The Herald.