Everyone will not buy a car and people cannot consume without cessation. For whatever reason, this concept has been lost on so many people in charge. However, many people will argue that folks in countries like México need to follow the examples of Europe so that their cities will be “competitive.” What most of those people tend not to know is that there are so many aspects of “developing” countries that are not highly publicized.
First of all, especially thanks to imperialism, most “developing” countries have several “European” characteristics. There are municipal trains all over México; limited, yes, but no worse than United States cities with suburbanites who hate public transportation. Buses may be privatized, but they run and people take them. Most importantly, there are more people riding bicycles in “developing” countries, so there are varying levels of infrastructure.
Unfortunately, too many people in the United States think that risk, change, and adjustment are for everyone except them. They could never take their children on bicycles, despite it being how many families–even in European countries–live their lives. There is no understanding that youth and children might need to be able to play in something other than a curated lawn in the middle of a homeowners’ association suburb.
The real problem with so many old politicians is that they think constituents are all stuck in a past that no longer exists. While suburban, consumptive living is still being peddled as an aspiration, most people are making different choices, and policies need to reflect that. Places without safer policies for those who live car-free and as pedestrians will not survive the coming days.
Chasing A Dying Empire 