Car Culture

Bypassing L.A.'s Fixation on Cars

In two new exhibits on Los Angeles's modern architectural history - part of the sprawling Pacific Standard Time Presents initiative - the city's infamous infatuation with the automobile is examined and then left behind in the rear-view mirror.

June 3, 2013 - LA Weekly

Vietnam Tries to Head Off Rising Car Culture by Building Transit

Lien Hoang looks at efforts by Vietnam's government to get ahead of rising living standards, and the auto congestion that often accompanies, by building modern transit systems in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

April 21, 2013 - The New York Times

Emerging Street Life of So Cal's San Fernando Valley Threatened

L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne reports on the changing nature of Lankershim Blvd., which appears to be at a crossroads between integrating transit into a multi-modal future or turning to outdated planning strategies.

January 6, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

Top Cities With the Worst Drivers

Washington D.C. drivers are the most accident prone out of 200 largest U.S. cities, according to a study by Allstate Insurance Co. The greater a cities population increases the chance of drivers getting into accidents.

September 7, 2011 - Forbes

Realligning the Libertarian Stance in the Urban Planning Culture Wars

Libertarians opposition toward government backed light-rail ignores the longer history of government's pro-car policies, says Timothy B. Lee, contributor for Forbes.

September 1, 2011 - Forbes

Britons are Driving Less

British cities report 9% fewer car trips per person and a 5% decline in distance traveled by car. That's because fewer young people are deciding to learn how to drive, says Prof. Phil Goodwin of the University of West of England.

May 27, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Which Was Worst: Katrina, or Car Culture?

Toronto architecture critic Christopher Hume visits New Orleans, and concludes that "the devastation wrought by Louisianans upon Louisiana far outweighs anything a hurricane can do."

March 27, 2011 - The Toronto Star

Adios Automobile!

TheCityFix looks at the future of the automobile in cities and the possibilities of moving people in to alternative modes in times when car ownership rates are still exploding.

December 9, 2010 - TheCityFix

Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives

Planetizen talks with Anne Lutz Fernandez, author of the new book Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives, about how Americans feel about their cars, the Starbucks Effect, and the built environment.

February 1, 2010 - Tim Halbur

The Discarded Landscape of Car Culture

Empty swimming pools and deserted roadside motels feature prominently in No Lifeguard on Duty, a new book of photographs.

May 28, 2009 - GOOD Magazine

Americans Driving Less- Temporary, or Permanent?

Nate Silver, the baseball stats guy turned election predictor, takes a look at the statistics showing that Americans are driving less.

May 6, 2009 - Esquire

What Should The Carbon-Free Futurama Look Like?

The Futurama exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair excited an entire generation about suburbia. At a meeting of the Citistates Group, policy wonks wondered whether it's possible to create a new vision of a Carbon-Free Futurama.

July 29, 2008 - California Planning & Development Report

SoCal Residents Overcoming Fear of Transit

Southern Californians, facing some of the worst gas prices in the country, are experimenting with taking public transit, as these personal stories from the Los Angeles Times attest.

July 9, 2008 - The Los Angeles Times

State Farm on the Humiliation of Biking to Work

A new 30-second television commercial from State Farm insurance suggests that commuting to work by bike is humiliating. But is the ad sending a more subversive message?

April 6, 2008 - Streetsblog

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