A study found that children who travel mostly by car draw simplistic, danger-focused "cognitive maps" of their surroundings. In contrast, kids in walkable areas create highly detailed maps with more streets, houses, and play locations, indicating a richer environmental understanding and greater independence.
The famous phrase wasn't organic. It was heavily promoted in a 1961 NBC special starring Groucho Marx, sponsored by DuPont, which had a significant stake in General Motors. This campaign successfully shaped public perception and cemented the car's cultural dominance.
Offering free or underpriced curb parking in busy areas creates an artificial shortage, incentivizing drivers to circle blocks searching for a spot. This generates significant unnecessary traffic and pollution. One Los Angeles neighborhood saw this behavior create 3,600 extra miles of driving daily.
Legally mandated parking spaces for every new building add tens of thousands of dollars to construction costs and raise rents. These laws also make it impossible to reuse older, historic buildings that can't accommodate parking, fundamentally forcing modern architecture to be designed around cars.
A 1969 UC Berkeley study by Donald Appleyard revealed a direct correlation between car traffic and social isolation. Residents on streets with heavy traffic reported almost no interaction with neighbors, while those on light-traffic streets had significantly more friends and acquaintances, quantifying how cars erode community.