I urbanization and urban transportation
URBAN AMERICA will double in the next 40 years, growing as much in that time as all of American urban growth since the landing of the Pilgrims. In that short period, the needs of older cities must be met at the same time that more than 100 million additional persons will be living in the Nation's metropolitan areas. The question facing governments at every level, private industry, and the public, is not whether provisions can be made for this massive and complex growth. Houses will be built- -as will schools, hospitals, libraries, airports, water and sewer sys- tems, roads, shopping centers, and office buildings. Of this there can be no doubt. What is in doubt is the shape and substance of cities and their opportunities; i.e., the quality of urban life.
The form and quality of future cities is affected by many factors: Local administration, intergovernmental relations, municipal finance, private investment, water and sewer and other public facilities, and--basically--by urban transporta- tion. The life of a city depends upon its transportation system. Inefficient transportation services increase the costs of local in- dustry and commerce. They rob citizens of their time and com- fort. They penalize especially the poor and the handicapped. An 18-month study-the first truly comprehensive official look at urban transportation in the light of modern technologi- cal capabilities to deal with modern urban problems--was au- thorized by Section 6(b) of the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964, as amended in 1966. This report summarizes the findings of that "new systems" study a systematic investiga- tion of the possibilities for technological "breakthroughs in urban transportation research comparable to those accom-5
