alexshap8
Surrounded by Dependence
Getting from one location to another. Sounds simple enough right? While this fundamental process is so inherent to humankind it is often overlooked, in reality it dictates an immense amount of human activity since the advent of humankind. The methods by which we move from one place to another have huge implications towards societal functions and all aspects of life. The task of getting from one place to another is one that all humans share and have in common. While the trip might be from a village to a water source or taking a train from home to work, it is a process that transcends temporal boundaries and is practiced regularly by all humans. Lets call this continuously evolving process transportation. Transportation is the means by which we move from place to place. The most salient aspects of transportation that have changed through time are the speed and spatial scale by which we are able to transport. Consider the world when the only mode of transport was walking. Our world as we know it today could never exist. Consider if right now in your current situation, the entire earth eliminated all means of transportation other than walking. What would be your first concern? Some might be getting to work or school, other might be as elementary as obtaining food or water. Various modes of transportation have become so engrained in our lives that they are often simply not thought of. Having grown up in Manhattan, the first think I consider when I eliminate transportation is trains and subways shutting down. While extremely inconvenient, life could go on without them…because there are always taxis as a back up if I am in a pinch. Next, eliminate those. Ok, so I probably would never leave a certain radius from my building that I deem walkable. But wait, I live on the 15th floor of my building and I rely on the elevator to transport me from the lobby to the apartment. And what about all the other places I travel regularly like college? All of the means of transport from bicycles to cars to large freight ships really do enable and dictate how we live.
For those who grew up outside of a city, it is likely that elimination of transportation would lead you to first think of your car. Our dependence of cars is so strong that it is impossible to live as we do without them. The dependence on cars is so strong that it leads us to pour unfathomable amounts of money into the industry often without thinking twice. This dependence on cars and therefore gasoline is such a priority that other arguably more important things are cut in order to keep up the car habit. In the article Trapped By Car Dependence: Stories From Commute-Battered Americans by Angie Schmitt, the dependence on cars is illustrated by the description of a recent college grad that often is forced to skip lunch by the large portion of her budget she is forced to use on gas for transportation to work. I found it interesting that this issue is probably not unique to this college grad. She is spending money to get to work to make money, which she will proceed to spend on gas for her commute to work. It is a vicious cycle many are trapped in, but there appears to be no alternative. Essentially, we are all dependent on some form of modern transportation in our every day lives. Without cars, how would we obtain groceries or get to work or school? Considering the widespread and drastic changes that elimination of transportation would have on today’s world is an important step towards understanding the impacts of transportation now.
usa.streetsblog.org/2011/10/31/trapped-by-car-dependence-...
Surrounded by Dependence
Getting from one location to another. Sounds simple enough right? While this fundamental process is so inherent to humankind it is often overlooked, in reality it dictates an immense amount of human activity since the advent of humankind. The methods by which we move from one place to another have huge implications towards societal functions and all aspects of life. The task of getting from one place to another is one that all humans share and have in common. While the trip might be from a village to a water source or taking a train from home to work, it is a process that transcends temporal boundaries and is practiced regularly by all humans. Lets call this continuously evolving process transportation. Transportation is the means by which we move from place to place. The most salient aspects of transportation that have changed through time are the speed and spatial scale by which we are able to transport. Consider the world when the only mode of transport was walking. Our world as we know it today could never exist. Consider if right now in your current situation, the entire earth eliminated all means of transportation other than walking. What would be your first concern? Some might be getting to work or school, other might be as elementary as obtaining food or water. Various modes of transportation have become so engrained in our lives that they are often simply not thought of. Having grown up in Manhattan, the first think I consider when I eliminate transportation is trains and subways shutting down. While extremely inconvenient, life could go on without them…because there are always taxis as a back up if I am in a pinch. Next, eliminate those. Ok, so I probably would never leave a certain radius from my building that I deem walkable. But wait, I live on the 15th floor of my building and I rely on the elevator to transport me from the lobby to the apartment. And what about all the other places I travel regularly like college? All of the means of transport from bicycles to cars to large freight ships really do enable and dictate how we live.
For those who grew up outside of a city, it is likely that elimination of transportation would lead you to first think of your car. Our dependence of cars is so strong that it is impossible to live as we do without them. The dependence on cars is so strong that it leads us to pour unfathomable amounts of money into the industry often without thinking twice. This dependence on cars and therefore gasoline is such a priority that other arguably more important things are cut in order to keep up the car habit. In the article Trapped By Car Dependence: Stories From Commute-Battered Americans by Angie Schmitt, the dependence on cars is illustrated by the description of a recent college grad that often is forced to skip lunch by the large portion of her budget she is forced to use on gas for transportation to work. I found it interesting that this issue is probably not unique to this college grad. She is spending money to get to work to make money, which she will proceed to spend on gas for her commute to work. It is a vicious cycle many are trapped in, but there appears to be no alternative. Essentially, we are all dependent on some form of modern transportation in our every day lives. Without cars, how would we obtain groceries or get to work or school? Considering the widespread and drastic changes that elimination of transportation would have on today’s world is an important step towards understanding the impacts of transportation now.
usa.streetsblog.org/2011/10/31/trapped-by-car-dependence-...