The Evolution of Our Cities

In his article 'Did Cars Save Our Cities From Horses?', Brandon Keim explores the history of city streets in America, and questions the idea that transition from horse carriages to cars was a smooth transition. In reality, Keim says, it was a much rockier transition. Keim writes of a time when the budding automobile owners had to share the streets with horses and carriages, streetcars, and pedestrians. Even our modern idea of the street existing as a main artery for transportation, and not a place for really anything besides cars, did not exist before the late 1920s. He even gives an example, when in 1923 Cincinnati passed a law requiring cars operating in the city be modified to not exceed speeds of 25 miles per hour to keep the streets safe for everyone using them.


The types of streets that Keim describes from the late 1800s and early 1900s may no longer exist in the United States, but the concept of the street existing as a jumble of different transportation options, and people not being afraid to use them for whatever they wished, is alive in many different countries around the world.

A year and a half ago I went to China to study abroad, and one of the first things I was struck with was how many people walked in the street. Sidewalks, though existing in s few places, were not the main thoroughfare for pedestrians, and people were not afraid to walk on the side of the road. Some streets, particularly the small ones in residential parts of the city of Nanjing, where I was staying, people flooded with pedestrian traffic. People could barely ride a bicycle on them in between the people, let alone take a car through.

Here in the United States we may think that the road as the home of the car is a give-in, a battle fought long ago, but for much of the world, especially the developing world, this isn't the case. I think that has the potential to let us rethink our streets. If we truly want a sustainable future, we will need to begin rethinking our transportation methods. I don't think we need to get rid of cars completely, but giving people the option to use busses, street cars, and subways, as well as giving people safe places to ride bicycles, can only lead to a more interconnected city.