Since the 1940s, the vision sold to society is one of private motor transport, free-flowing highways, and houses on big lots. The past 80 years have seen the execution of this plan with little to no reflection or criticism.
We're finally starting to wake up to the reality that we find ourselves living in. We're questioning the choices made by our forebears and the infrastructure that has been constructed. If we want to change how cities are designed, we have to recognize the problem first. Only then can we embark on a decades-long transformation where we slowly replace buildings and roads with ones that reflect a new vision.
The fact that US cities are dispersed is a red herring. Most cities will have expensive areas that people want to move into but are prevented from doing so due to a lack of available housing. The demand to densify already exists. By adjusting zoning laws, parking minimums, and transportation networks, housing can be added in those areas, and no one would be coerced to move to somewhere they don't want to be.
I think the thing about Public Transit, is if you truly love driving your car, you should still be in favor of public transit, because better public transit means less traffic for you.
Questionable:
"Why Gas Taxes Aren't Paying the Bills Anymore"
* https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-02-15/gas-ta...
"Gas Taxes Don't Cover the Costs of Our Roads"
* https://www.onthecommons.org/gas-taxes-dont-cover-costs-our-...
"Ten Years of Highway Trust Fund Bankruptcy: Why Did It Happen, and What Have We Learned?"
* https://www.enotrans.org/article/ten-years-of-highway-trust-...
Further, expanding roads for car-centric use just makes things worse:
> It is a paradox in that improvements in the road network will not reduce traffic congestion. Improvements in the road network can make congestion worse if the improvements make public transport more inconvenient or if they shift investment, causing disinvestment in the public transport system.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downs–Thomson_paradox
There is decades of empirical evidence that building more roads/highways does not improve congestion (but makes it worse):
(Well, additionally by the way US military and foreign policy revolves around fossil fuel supply. Which lots of people around the world pay for, and not just US taxpayers.)
This content is literally about how US cities are dispersed.
Anti-car posts are fun because they are escapism from the worst part of the suburbs. However, you lose all of the best parts when you switch to the current alternatives (expensive density and shared public transportation).