The destruction of mass transportation in the United States throughout the last 50 years of the 2oth Century is undoubtedly a key factor in the decline of that country. Only its restoration and reinvention will bring back desperately needed and healthy cities.
Putting aside the folly of white-flight from the inner city to the suburbs, and noting soberly the contribution of the automobile (and its promise of freedom and mobility) to the creation of suburban sprawl, the loss of light rail (trolleys and trains) and reliable and regularly running interlocking bus systems is central to the isolation of the suburban dweller, to the oil and fuel crises that grip the world, and to the disintegration of community.
Only fifty years ago, neighborhoods across North America contained all the necessary businesses (groceries, hardware, movie theaters, shoe makers, specialty stores) within walking distance. Those that were not quite within walking distance could be reached quickly and easily with light rail systems that ran regularly and between all the adjoining urban areas. Only New York City, Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Diego, and San Francisco contain vestiges of this functional and benevolent system. Some might classify the NYC system as different from true "light rail," but for these discussion purposes they are interchangeable. Fragments exist elsewhere: Los Angeles, Buffalo, NY, Portland. Wikipedia claims only 20 U.S. cities have significant light rail.
Europe and Asia contain hundreds of such systems. Rail is everywhere, carrying passengers between urban districts and other countries cheaply and swiftly. The automobile is a luxury and, to a great extent, an indulgent inconvenience.
New York City's transportation system offers "carless" transportation to virtually anything within Manhattan and the major boroughs. There are those who take Taxi cabs, but it is a curious luxury, a convenience to the disabled, and often less efficient than subways (though usually faster than buses.) The commerce of Manhattan would fail without the rail systems. Through a combination of walking and riding, visitors and residents can get anywhere they want to in very short periods of time.
Los Angeles, by contrast, has become a 24/7/365 rush hour with wall-to-wall cars carrying single passengers through grueling and time-consuming trips for essentials that could once have been purchased at a corner store or supermarket and that now have to be retrieved from huge food stores that are often 10 miles away. Without a car, people would -- literally -- starve.
It affects culture as well. The city of Buffalo, NY, like many others, was filled with wonderful neighborhood movie theaters. Within a five or ten block radius, residents could take a leisurely walk to one or more single-screen movie houses any time they wanted. That city is now dominated by 14-20 screen multi-plexes that lie four to six miles (or more) from any suburban neighborhood. It's no wonder that film-going has declined nationwide: it's far more convenient to stay home and watch television than to travel those distances for an expensive treat (accompanied by even more ridiculously expensive food). People remain at home -- isolated from large social groupings -- entertaining themselves with home theaters, the internet, video games and other solitary pursuits.
Only churches, sports events, special movies, and occasional rock concerts bring large groups of people together in most smaller cities and suburbs. New Yorkers (for better or worse) are surround by people constantly and shop amongs hundreds of fellow human beings. This is, without a doubt, a contributing factor in the "melting pot" effect of life in large cities. Europeans and Asians experience a similar mixing and crowding daily.
Recent discussions of high-speed rail are extremely promising. New York State is a great candidate for this as is California between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Either of those routes equipped with high-speed trains would eliminate inefficient and often unprofitable short distance plane service. With New York City as a hub, all of the North Eastern United States (and Eastern Canada) would be linked easily with a radial high speed system connecting Washington, Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, Montreal, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Toronto and Chicago and all the points in between. The train ride from Chicago to NYC which now takes about 12 hours would become a 5 hour trip. NYC to Albany would take less than an hour by train. At those lengths, trains become a far more attractive alternative to crowded, uncomfortable planes.
There seems to be no feasible solution for the plague of pollution, fuel shortages, non-existant community cooperation until mass transportation is restored. None.
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