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Urban land use is often dominated by automobile usage. Pictured: São Paulo, Brazil.

Over the course of the 20th century, the automobile rapidly developed from an expensive toy for the rich into the de facto standard for passenger transport in developed countries.^[1] In developing countries, the effects of the automobile have lagged, but are emulating the impacts of developed nations. The development of the automobile built upon the transport revolution started by railways, and like the railways, introduced sweeping changes in employment patterns, social interactions, infrastructure and goods distribution. The effects of automobiles on everyday life have been a subject of controversy. Automobile proponents claim the car is a marvel of technology that has brought about prosperity, while opponents aver it leads to urban planning that discourages walking and human interaction; uses non-renewable fuels; generates air and noise pollution; facilitates urban sprawl and urban decay.^[2] Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (819x614, 168 KB) Summary A picture of rush hour in Prestes Maia expressway, in São Paulo, Brazil, taken by myself from a viaduct. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (819x614, 168 KB) Summary A picture of rush hour in Prestes Maia expressway, in São Paulo, Brazil, taken by myself from a viaduct. ... This article is about the city. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... “Car” and “Cars” redirect here. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ... Air pollution is a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. ... Noise pollution (or environmental noise in technical venues) is displeasing human or machine created sound that disrupts the environment. ... Urban sprawl (also: suburban sprawl) is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. ... Urban decay and renewal in Cincinnati Urban decay is the popular term for both the physical and social degeneration of cities and large towns. ...

Economic changes

The main reason for the height of these signs is to attract the attention of drivers on the adjacent freeway.

The development of the automobile has caused changes in employment distribution, shopping patterns, social interactions, manufacturing priorities and city planning; increasing use of automobiles has clearly reduced the roles of horses and railroads. Image File history File links Ravenswood101sign. ... Image File history File links Ravenswood101sign. ... Urban, city, or town planning, deals with design of the built environment from the municipal and metropolitan perspective. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ...

Industry restructuring

Industries devoted only to the automobile were created. Others were expanded from once trivial significance to importance. Before the internal-combustion engine was developed, gasoline was a waste product, often discarded. Once the automobile became commonplace, the production of gasoline blossomed into a matter of such importance that national governments took action to secure the steady flow of oil. The steel industry was already established, but the coming of the automobile created huge amounts of demand for steel. The chemical, rubber, and petroleum industries were remade to suit the needs of the automobile and industries sprang up, such as service stations, motels, and automobile insurance, that were reliant upon the automobile for their livelihood. An internal combustion engine is an engine that is powered by the expansion of hot combustion products of fuel directly acting within an engine. ... “Petrol” redirects here. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Steel framework Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... A chemical substance is any material substance used in or obtained by a process in chemistry: A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Service station is a term with different meanings in different parts of the world: In the United States and Canada, it refers to a filling station that also offers such services as oil change and mechanical repairs to automobiles. ... Holiday Inn Great Sign Exterior of a Howard Johnsons motor lodge. ... Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. ...

As automobiles began to travel at higher speeds, the sign industry began building larger signs and billboards. Unused traffic signs in Austria Most countries post signage, known as traffic signs or road signs, at the side of roads to impart information to road users. ... Billboard redirects here. ...

Infrastructure

Aside from industries, one of the most visible effects the automobile has had on the world is the huge increase in the amount of surfaced roads. For example, between 1921 and 1941, the United States spent US$40 billion on roads, increasing the amount of surfaced road from 387,000 miles (619,000 kilometers) to over 1,000,000 miles (1.6 million kilometers) which doesn't even take into account road widening.^[2] Mountain road with hairpin turns in the French Alps For other uses, see Road (disambiguation). ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ...

With increased road-building came habitat fragmentation, reducing biodiversity. The quality of roads was also improved. Roads were paved with asphalt, and roads with more than one lane became commonplace. Habitat fragmentation is a process of environmental change important in evolution and conservation biology. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... Asphalt is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits. ...

In addition to federal, state, and local dollars for roadway construction, car use was also encouraged through new zoning laws that required that any new business construct a certain amount of parking based on the size and type of facility. The effect of this was to create a massive quantity of free parking spaces and to push businesses further back from the road. Many shopping centers and suburbs abandon sidewalks altogether, making pedestrian access dangerous. This had the effect of encouraging people to drive, even for short trips that might have been walkable, thus increasing and solidifying American auto-dependency.^[3] As a result of this change, employment opportunities for people who were not wealthy enough to own a car and for people who could not drive, due to age or physical disabilities, became severely limited. In general, zoning is the division of an area into sub-areas, called zones. ... For other uses, see Parking (disambiguation). ... Illustration of the backyards of a surburban neighbourhood Suburbs are inhabited districts located either on the outer rim of a city or outside the official limits of a city (the term varies from country to country), or the outer elements of a conurbation. ...

Technological changes

Production

The assembly line and other methods of mass production were developed when American businessmen began seeking ways to build more automobiles at a lower price. The idea of using many small identical parts that could be exchanged for each other was engendered by the president of the Cadillac Automobile Company, Henry M. Leland. Once other automobile makers realized the value of small identical parts that were interchangeable, they hired many small machine shops to make identical parts that were then put together at assembly plants. Because of this, replacement parts could easily be sent to car owners. This greatly prolonged the life of the automobile, making it even more attractive to consumers. Modern car assembly line. ... Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardised products on production lines. ... Cadillac is a brand of luxury automobile, part of the General Motors corporation, produced and mostly sold in the USA; outside of North America, they have been less successful. ... Henry M. Leland Henry Martyn Leland (16 February 1843-26 March 1932) (born Barton, Vermont, died Detroit, Michigan) was a machinist, inventor, engineer and automotive entrepreneur. ...

Ransom E. Olds took the first step towards assembly line production when he had the framework of each automobile pushed on a wooden platform supported by rolling casters. Henry Ford built on this when he used conveyor belts to pull along the bare frame of an automobile while workmen added parts to it that were brought to them by other conveyor belts. Ford's utilization of the conveyor belt in the factory was inspired by the Chicago Packing Association's disassembly line, where workers dressed beef pulled along by an overhead trolley. Ransom E. Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864–August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the American automobile industry, for whom both the Oldsmobile and Reo brands were named. ... Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... This article is about industrial conveyor belts. ... For other uses, see Beef (disambiguation). ...

Cultural changes

Prior to the appearance of the automobile, horses, walking, streetcars and bicycles were the major modes of transportation within cities. Horses require a large amount of care, and were therefore kept in public facilities that were usually far from residences. The manure they left on the streets also created a sanitation problem.^[4] The automobile had neither of those disadvantages. This article refers to public transport vehicles running on rails. ... For other uses, see Bicycle (disambiguation). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Animal manure is often a mixture of animals feces and bedding straw, as in this example from a stable. ... E. Coli bacteria under magnification Sanitation is the hygienic disposal or recycling of waste, as well as the policy and practice of protecting health through hygienic measures. ...

The automobile made regular medium-distance travel more convenient and affordable, especially in areas without railways. Because automobiles did not require rest, and were faster than horse-drawn conveyances, people were routinely able to travel farther than in earlier times. Historically, most people never travelled more than a few dozen kilometres from their birthplace in their entire lives ^{[citation needed]}; the advent of the automobile began the transformation of society in such a way that those who had never travelled that distance were only a tiny minority. Some experts suggest that many of these changes began during the Golden age of the bicycle, the preceding era from 1880—1915.^[5]

Changes to urban society

Modern automobiles on an American highway, the Downtown Connector in Atlanta, Georgia.

Beginning in the 1940s, most urban environments in United States lost their streetcars, Cable cars, and other forms of light rail, to be replaced by diesel-burning motor coaches or buses. Many of these have never returned, though some urban communities eventually installed subways. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (900x675, 157 KB) Downtown connector in Atlanta, GA, USA 10th Street bridge, facing South Photo taken in 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: Downtown Connector ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (900x675, 157 KB) Downtown connector in Atlanta, GA, USA 10th Street bridge, facing South Photo taken in 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: Downtown Connector ...   In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 (pronounced seventy-five eighty-five) is the overlapped route of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. ... Nickname: Location in Fulton County and the state of Georgia Coordinates: , Country State Counties Fulton, DeKalb Government  - Mayor Shirley Franklin (D) Area  - City  132. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about light rail systems in general. ... Cable Car in San Francisco A San Francisco cable car Winding drums on the London and Blackwall cable-operated railway, 1840. ... This article is about light rail systems in general. ... This article is about the fuel. ... This article is about the form of transport. ... A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railway — usually in an urban area — with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. ...

Another change brought about by the automobile is that modern urban pedestrians must be more alert than their ancestors. In the past, a pedestrian had to worry about relatively slow-moving streetcars or other obstacles of travel. With the proliferation of the automobile, a pedestrian has to anticipate safety risks of automobiles at high speeds. The Futurama exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair showed a City of the Future in which pedestrian and automobile traffic was fully grade-separated. However, for cost reasons, this vision has never come to pass outside of moderate scale skywalks in a few downtowns. This article is about the television series. ... Trylon, Perisphere and Helicline photo by Sam Gottscho The 1939-40 New York Worlds Fair, located on the current site of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (also the location of the 1964-1965 New York Worlds Fair), was one of the largest worlds fairs of all time. ... A skyway is a path that is traversed without touching the ground. ...

The loss of pedestrian-scale villages has also disconnected communities.^{[neutrality disputed]} Many people in developed countries have less contact with their neighbors and rarely walk unless they place a high value on exercise.^[6] Also, drivers lose time stuck in traffic jams, and today people rarely get the recommended amount of exercise to stay healthy. In fact, since the 1980s, obesity has reached epidemic proportions in many Western countries. Look up Pedestrian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term Exercise can refer to: Physical exercise such as running or strength training Exercise (options), the financial term for enacting and terminating a contract Category: ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...

Large people visiting a large suburban warehouse-club store in large vehicles.

Costco Wholesale warehouse in Ontario, California. ... Costco Wholesale warehouse in Ontario, California. ... A warehouse club is a retail store selling a small amount of merchandise in terms of variety. ...

Advent of suburban society

Because of the automobile, the outward growth of cities accelerated, and the development of suburbs in automobile intensive cultures was intensified. Until the advent of the automobile, factory workers lived either close to the factory or in high density communities further away, connected to the factory by streetcar or rail. The automobile and the federal subsides for roads and suburban development that supported car culture allowed people to live in low density communities far from the city center and integrated city neighborhoods. The developing suburbs created few local jobs, due to single use zoning. Hence, residents commuted longer distances to work each day as the suburbs expanded.^[2] “Suburbia” redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... In classical economics and all micro-economics labour is one of three factors of production, the others being land and capital. ... a historic postcard showing electric trolley-powered streetcars in Richmond, Virginia, where Frank J. Sprague successfully demonstrated his new system on the hills in 1888 A streetcar is a railway vehicle designed to carry passengers on tracks, usually laid in city streets. ... “railroads” redirects here. ... Integration may be any of the following: Usually integration is the construction of an object, a theory, etc. ...

Shopping centers were built as part of the the proliferation of automobile use. Shopping centers provide goods and services in a centralized setting, providing relative convenience for shoppers. For the traditional meaning of the word mall, see mall. ...

In developed countries the automobile contributes to decentralisation of large cities, segregating land use and ethnicities, while increasing the ecological footprint of their residents. In developing countries, the automobile allows some people access to employment and causes an accretion of population to cities at the expense of rural population. Decentralisation (American: decentralization) is any of various means of more widely distributing decision-making to bring it closer to the point of service or action. ...

Car culture

The car had a significant effect on the culture of the middle class. Automobiles were incorporated into all parts of life from music to books to movies. Between 1905 and 1908, more than 120 songs were written in which the automobile was the subject. The automotive themes of these songs reflected the general culture of the automotive industry: sexual adventure, liberation from social control, and masculine power. Books centered on motor boys who liberated themselves from the average, normal, middle class life, to travel and seek adventure in the exotic. Car ownership came to be associated with independence, freedom, and increased status. The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ... For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Individual lifestyle

The automobile encompasses ideals of personal freedom and individuality. Some speculate that people are prone to delay marriage in order to buy an automobile. Others argue that couples delay having children or even had fewer children, owing to the expense of automobile ownership.^{[citation needed]}

Social status

The automobile signifies much more to many than simply a mode of transportation. Henri Lefebvre called the automobile "the epitome of possessions". In the early years, when the first automobiles were imported to America from France for the bourgeois and elite, the car served as a mark of distinction above all others. The automobile rapidly became a symbol of social status, and in some cases, a fashion item. The automobile is often a symbol of wealth. Ownership of an automobile demonstrative of a certain level of income, a phenomenon that is accentuated in lesser developed countries. Henri Lefebvre (16 June 1901-29 June 1991) was a French Marxist sociologist, intellectual and philosopher. ... An epitome (Greek epitemnein—to cut short) is a summary or miniature form, also used as a synonym for embodiment. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Bourgeois at the end of the thirteenth century. ... Social status is the honor or prestige attached to ones position in society (ones social position). ...

Recreation

The creation of good roads and dependable automobiles changed recreation and vacations. Before the automobile, resorts were predominantly found near the coast or a railroad. Once the automobile became abundant, resorts sprang up that were off the beaten path. Resorts appeared in scenic places, far away from the hectic life of the cities. In the United States, national parks became popular tourist attractions and developed designs with automobile travelers in mind. “Fun” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Vacation (disambiguation). ... Resorts combine a hotel and a variety of recreations, such as swimming pools. ... Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada A national park is a reserve of land, usually, but not always (see National Parks of England and Wales), declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. ...

Safety

Automobile accidents caused many deaths and injuries, especially before automobile safety laws were implemented. To this date, automobiles remain a major cause of accidental death and injury, not to mention emotional stress. For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical. ... In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. ...

Car drivers are less vulnerable to mugging than pedestrians and transit riders, but are naturally vulnerable to crimes like carjacking, to torts like injuries sustained in car accidents, and to the inconvenience of vehicle breakdowns. The automobile expedites emergency response for firefighters and paramedics. Look up Mugging in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A Carjacking scene from the film Reservoir Dogs. ... Not to be confused with torte, an iced cake. ... In an accident resulting from excessive speed, this concrete truck rolled over into the front garden of a house. ... A Canadian firefighter A firefighter or fireman is trained and equipped to extinguish fires. ... The Star of Life, a globally recognised symbol for emergency medical services A paramedic is a medical professional, usually a member of the emergency medical service, who responds to medical and trauma emergencies in the pre-hospital environment, provides emergency treatment and, when appropriate, transports a patient to definitive care...

Political changes

George Monbiot speculates that widespread car culture has shifted voter's preference to the right of the political spectrum.^[7] He thinks that car culture has contributed to an increase in individualism and fewer social interactions between members of different socioeconomic classes George Monbiot. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ...

Since the early days of the automobile, car manufacturers and petroleum fuel suppliers successfully lobbied governments to build public roads.^[2] Road building was sometimes also influenced by Keynesian-style political ideologies. In Europe, massive freeway building programs were initiated by a number of socialist governments after World War II, in an attempt to create jobs and make the automobile available to the working classes. From the 1970s, promotion of the automobile increasingly became a trait of some conservatives. Margaret Thatcher talked of a "great car economy", and increased government spending on roads. This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Ths article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first and to date only woman to hold either post. ...

Access and convenience

A drive-through lane at an United States post office

Worldwide the automobile has allowed easier access to remote places as well as more rapid journeys to frequently visited places. This improved access has allowed more frequent social interactions for people, more efficient scientific exploration and more rapid commercial goods transport. This impact has occurred over the last century for developed countries, and is taking place in developing countries with rapid advances over the period 1950 to the present. Therefore, current impacts are most significant in such underdeveloped countries, as many people are gaining the opportunity for significant mobility only in the most recent generation. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x620, 228 KB) Summary A drive-through lane at a post office operated by the United States Postal Service in Los Altos, California. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x620, 228 KB) Summary A drive-through lane at a post office operated by the United States Postal Service in Los Altos, California. ... A drive-thru window at a fast food restaurant. ... The word lane has two meanings: a portion of a paved roadway which is intended for a single line of vehicles and is marked by white or yellow lines. ... Small-town post office and town hall in Lockhart, Alabama A post office is a facility (in most countries, a government one) where the public can purchase postage stamps for mailing correspondence or merchandise, and also drop off or pick up packages or other special-delivery items. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ...

Examples of automobile access issues in underdeveloped countries are:

• Paving of the Mexico Pacific Coast highway through Baja California, completing the connection of Cabo San Lucas to California, allowing the first routine travel along that route and the first convenient access to the outside world for villagers along the route. (occurred in the 1950s)
• In Madagascar, approximately 30 percent of the population does not have access to reliable all weather roads.^[8]
• In China, there are currently 184 towns and 54,000 villages that have no access to automobile use (or roads at all)^[9]
• The origin of HIV explosion in the human population has been hypothesized by CDC researchers to derive in part from more intensive social interactions afforded by new road networks in central Africa allowing more frequent travel from villagers to cities and higher density development of many African cities in the period 1950 to 1980.^[10]

In light of the above significant access issues, the convenience aspects of automobile use appear trivial. These convenience aspects have been present for decades in developed countries and are arriving rapidly in lesser developed countries The following specific convenience improvements are partially due to automobile use: This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Cabo is well known for its pristine beaches Lands End is at southern tip of Baja and its arch can be seen in a December sunset San Lucas Marina This view of Cabo San Lucas shows the rapid growth of the area (November 5, 2005). ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Species Human immunodeficiency virus 1 Human immunodeficiency virus 2 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections). ... CDC is an abbreviation which can mean any of the following: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Communicable Disease Control Community of Democratic Choice, a group of nine Eastern-European states Change data capture, in data warehousing Clock Domain Crossing, or simply clock-crossing in computing Cedar City Regional Airport... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... A developed country is a country that has achieved (currently or historically) a high degree of industrialization, and which enjoys the higher standards of living which wealth and technology make possible. ...  High human development Medium human development Low human development Unavailable (colour-blind compliant map)   Developing countries not listed as least developed countries or as newly industrialized countries, in their respective articles. ...

• Conduct banking transaction at an ATM
• Deposit mail for delivery by the postal service
• Pick up and pay for prescription drugs at a pharmacy
• Return library books, videotapes regularly lent to the public

“Cash machine” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Mail (disambiguation). ... A prescription drug is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. ... For other uses, see Pharmacy (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Library (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Book (disambiguation). ... Bottom view of VHS videotape cassette with magnetic tape exposed Videotape is a means of recording images and sound onto magnetic tape as opposed to movie film. ...

Environmental changes

For much of the early history of the car, no consideration was given to various environmental effects caused by the automobile. Automobiles are a major source of air pollution and noise pollution. The manufacture and use of automobiles makes up 20 to 25 percent^[11] of the carbon dioxide emissions that are widely believed to be causing global climate change. There are over 600 million cars and light vehicles (excluding heavy trucks and buses) worldwide,^[12] The automobile contributes significantly to noise pollution worldwide; in response to these impacts, an entire technology of noise barrier design and other noise mitigation has emerged.^[13] In the United States the typical car emits approximately 3.4 grams per mile of carbon monoxide^[14] Air pollution is a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. ... Noise pollution (or environmental noise in technical venues) is displeasing human or machine created sound that disrupts the environment. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 450,000 years For current global climate change, see Global warming. ... The sound tube in Melbourne, Australia, designed to reduce roadway noise without detracting from the areas aesthetics. ... Noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce unwanted environmental sound. ... Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. ...

With increased road-building came negative effects on habitat for wildlife, primarily through habitat fragmentation and surface runoff alteration.^[11] New roads built through sensitive habitat can cause the loss or degradation of ecosystems, and the materials required for roads come from large-scale rock quarrying and gravel extraction, which sometimes occurs in sensitive ecological areas. Road construction also alters the water table, increases surface runoff, and increases the risk of flooding.^[11] Habitat (which is Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species live and grow. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Habitat fragmentation is a process of environmental change important in evolution and conservation biology. ... Runoff flowing into a stormwater drain Surface runoff is water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources, that flows over the land surface, and is a major component of the water cycle[1][2]. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called overland flow. ... Look up habitat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Quarry (disambiguation). ... Gravel (largest fragment in this photo is about 4 cm) Gravel is rock that is of a certain particle size range. ... Ecology is the branch of science that studies the distribution and abundance of living organisms, and the interactions between organisms and their environment. ... Cross section showing the water table varying with surface topography as well as a perched water table The water table or phreatic surface is the surface where the water pressure is equal to atmospheric pressure. ... Runoff flowing into a stormwater drain Surface runoff is water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources, that flows over the land surface, and is a major component of the water cycle[1][2]. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called overland flow. ...

See also

• Mobility
• General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy

Mobility is the ability and willingness to move or change; this can depend on motor skills; mobility aids may be needed such as a walking stick, walker, mobile standing frame, power operated vehicle/scooter, wheelchair or white cane for visual impairment. ... The General Motors streetcar conspiracy refers to a contention that General Motors (GM), acting in conjunction with several other companies and through the National City Lines (NCL) holding company, illegally acquired many streetcar systems in various cities around the United States, dismantled and replaced them with buses for the express...

Alternatives

• Car-free movement
• Freeway and expressway revolts
• New Pedestrianism

The car-free movement is composed largely of people who believe that the automobile (and especially private car ownership) has an overall negative impact on people and the planet. ... The Freeway Revolts (sometimes expressway revolts) refer to a phenomenon encountered in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, where planned freeway construction in many U.S. cities was halted due to widespread public opposition; especially of those whose neighborhoods would be disrupted or displaced by the proposed freeways. ... New Pedestrianism is a variation of New Urbanism in urban planning theory. ...

Effects

• Externality
• Roadway noise
• Roadway air dispersion modeling
• Traffic congestion
• Urban decay
• Urban sprawl

In economics, an externality is an impact (positive or negative) on anyone not party to a given economic transaction. ... Roadway noise is the most prevalent form of environmental noise. ... Roadway air dispersion is applied to highway segments Roadway air dispersion modeling is the study of air pollutant transport from a roadway or other linear emitter. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Urban decay and renewal in Cincinnati Urban decay is the popular term for both the physical and social degeneration of cities and large towns. ... Urban sprawl (also: suburban sprawl) is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. ...

Social aspects

• Social status
• Systemics
• Social mobility

Social status is the honor or prestige attached to ones position in society (ones social position). ... Systems theory or general systems theory or systemics is an interdisciplinary field which studies systems as a whole. ... Social mobility is the degree to which, in a given society, an individuals social status can change throughout the course of their life (known as intragenerational mobility), or the degree to which that individuals offspring and subsequent generations move up and down the class system (intergenerational mobility). ...

References

1. ^ The ‘System’ of Automobility by John Urry. Theory, Culture & Society, Vol. 21, No. 4-5, 25-39 (2004)
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Asphalt Nation: how the automobile took over America, and how we can take it back By Jane Holtz Kay Published 1998 ISBN 0520216202
3. ^ Lots of Parking: Land Use in a Car Culture By John A. Jakle, Keith A. Sculle. 2004. ISBN 0813922666
4. ^ Susan Strasser, Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash, Owl Books, 355 pages (1999) ISBN 080506512
5. ^ Smith, Robert (1972). A Social History of the Bicycle, its Early Life and Times in America. American Heritage Press.
6. ^ From Highway to Superhighway: The Sustainability, Symbolism and Situated Practices of Car Culture Graves-Brown. Social Analysis. Vol. 41, pp. 64-75. 1997.
7. ^ George Monbiot, The Guardian, Tuesday December 20, 2005
8. ^ Madagascar: The Development of a National Rural Transport Program
9. ^ China Through a Lens: Rural Road Construction Speeded Up
10. ^ Joseph M.D. McCormick, Susan Fisher-Hoch and Leslie Alan Horvitz, Virus Hunters of the CDC, Turner Publishing (April 1997) ISBN-13: 978-1570363979
11. ^ ^{a b c} World Carfree Network - Some Statistics.
12. ^ The Physics Factbook: Number of Cars, Edited by Glenn Elert.
13. ^ C. Michael Hogan and Gary L. Latshaw,The Relationship Between Highway Planning and Urban Noise , Proceedings of the ASCE, Urban Transportation Division Specialty Conference, American Society of Civil Engineers, Urban Transportation Division, May 21-23, 1973, Chicago, Illinois
14. ^ United States Environmnetal Protection Agency: Emission standards