Road Rage but at the roads

There is something deeply off about the way our cities are built, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Most urban spaces in the U.S are designed around efficiency for cars, not the people that live in them. Sidewalks feel like an afterthought, crosswalks are inconsistent or completely missing, and if you’ve ever tried to exist somewhere without a car, it’s inconvenient at best, isolating at worst.

This didn’t just happen randomly. In the mid-90s there was a very intentional pivot away from public transportation and toward the automobile industry. Highway systems reshaped entire cities and neighborhoods were put on the back-burner. What used to be walkable and connected became fragmented, louder, and harder to navigate on foot. This expanded into cookie cutter infrastructure, with parking lots, parking garages, and multiple lanes taking over. 

Every errand becomes a trip, and every trip requires a car. While the car industry shot to the top, public transportation, connectivity and accessibility was put on the back burner. Outside of designated reserves, nature is just sprinkled in here and there.  Even something as simple as sitting outside is becoming less common, because where would you even sit ? Movement outside of cars often isn’t designed to feel natural.

Compare this to places that took a path rooted in walkability and transit. Cities that are built around trains, buses, bikes, and humans actually feel alive rather than industrial. It’s not just about aesthetics, it shapes how people experience life. 

When your surroundings have more space for

you, you can see more, interact more, and the world around you feels closer. We deserve spaces where walking isn’t a hassle or a risk, and where public transportation is reliable. It simply shouldn't cost a car to access the world around you.

Strike Out,

Dahya Goolsby, Writer