This is a great point, but I’ll also note: neglect of our automotive infrastructure is a matter of when, not if. A consistent theme among suburbs in the Strong Towns surveys is unsustainable financing of municipal and county roads. Even at the state and federal levels, our road funding doesn’t accurately reflect the biggest sources of wear (trailer and other shipping traffic).

It’s not like we’re ever going to regress into a nation without interstates. But there will be a significant reckoning over the next 50 years over the increasing burden of our overdeveloped road network.