Mass Motorization and Mass Transit: An American History and Policy Analysis
"David Jones does a great job of dispelling myths that many of us hold about the advent of the automobile and the decline of public transit in the United States." —publictransport.about.com"Jones documents well the politics of postwar efforts by big city mayors to obtain federal aid for rail systems.... He provides good evidence for transit's very limited potential to solve the pressing problems of congestion, energy use, and global warming.... Highly recommended." —Choice"This is a valuable and topical book which brings transport issues to the fore in American domestic and foreign policy." —Margaret Walsh, University of Nottingham, Journal of American Studies, 43 2009"In this sweeping history of urban transportation modernization and post-modernization in the United States, David Jones debunks popular explanations for the decline of mass transit and the rise of mass motorization. ... offers a solid foundation for debating alternative theses that seek to account for technological change." —Gregory Thompson, Technology and Culture, Vol. 50 July 2009"Jones ultimately attributes mass motorization to consumer preferences—for single-family home ownership, suburban living, and sun belt metropolises where low-density development and dispersed employment made automobiles essential." —Thomas G. Andrews, University of Colorado Denver, JOURNAL OF AMERICAN HISTORY, Vol. 96.2 September 2009