[...]... is subject to the Terms of Use as given at the website 11 Overview—Criteria for Selecting Modes 12 Urban Transportation Systems Thirty years ago, Lewis Mumford articulated his vision as to what urban transportation should be It is valid today, although it still remains a vision Transportation: “A Failure of Mind” Lewis Mumford CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— Many people who are willing to concede that the railroad... is a part of the urban street theater, sometimes blocking those who are in a hurry, consuming space and time for the best possible reasons— personal enjoyment We all do it when we have the time and when the weather is good, but this is certainly not transportation Thus—reluctantly— we have to stop further discussion of this pedestrian situation, and leave it for urban designers and urban recreation... journey Walking is the basic urban transportation mode that has allowed settlements and cities to operate for thousands of years It is still very much with us, but its role has been eroded with the introduction of mechanical means of transportation, drastically so in American communities, with the dominant presence of the private automobile in the last half century The principal transportation mode in the... subject to the Terms of Use as given at the website Walking 14 Urban Transportation Systems Admittedly, because of the size of contemporary metropolitan areas, with origin and destination points far apart, the need to save time consumed in routine travel, and the desire for basic comfort and avoidance of severe weather conditions, walking as a transportation mode has limitations But the niche that it can... automated vehicles a Government department is now toying with for “facilitating” urban traffic What is the function of transportation? What place does lomocotion [sic] occupy in the whole spectrum of human needs? Perhaps the first step in developing an adequate transportation policy would be to clear our minds of technocratic cant Those who believe that transportation is the chief end of life should be put... should be put in orbit at a safe lunar distance from the earth The prime purpose of passenger transportation is not to increase the amount of physical movement but to increase the possibilities for human association, cooperation, personal intercourse, and choice A balanced transportation system, accordingly, calls for a balance of resources and facilities and opportunities in every other part of the economy... efficiency Hence such limited technocratic proposals as that for highspeed trains between already overcrowded and overextended urban centers would only add to the present lack of functional balance and purposeful organization viewed in terms of human need Variety of choices, facilities and destinations, not speed alone, is the mark of an organic transportation system And, incidentally, this is an important... seriously in recasting the whole transportation system, we should begin with the human body and make the fullest use of pedestrian movement, not only for health but for efficiency in moving large crowds over short distances The current introduction of shopping malls, free from wheeled traffic, is both a far simpler and far better technical solution than the many costly proposals for introducing moving sidewalks... habits, often unique to a specific community Transportation systems affect much more than tangible artifacts and their operation These factors operate at the local and state levels primarily, and no generalizations will be made here, except to call for serious attention and understanding well before any irreparable damage is done due to neglect or ignorance Image Transportation systems and services are... must be brought back to life are chiefly thinking of bringing this about on the very terms that have robbed us of a balanced transportation network—that is, by treating speed as the only important factor, forgetting reliability, comfort and safety, and seeking some mechanical dodge for increasing the speed and automation of surface vehicles My desk is littered with such technocratic fantasies, hopefully . subject to the Terms of Use as given at the website. Source: Urban Transportation Systems 2 Urban Transportation Systems within a short radius; only occasionally. their transportation expectations from the most comfortable to the most affordable. There are districts in African cities that expect and can pay for the