Sustainability Through Transportation and Urbanism: Saving the Planet, One Fewer Car Trip at a Time

Over the past few months of doing this blogging thing, it has become abundantly clear to me that most people with whom I associate, at least verbally, are committed to having rapid transit options in their city, or would like to live in a city that has such infrastructure.   Typically, when we think of rapid transit, we immediately think trains. We love trains. They provide a novelty that transports us back to our childhood days of watching Thomas the Train. In an increasingly globalized world, many people have traveled to Europe, Chicago, and New York City, and few (if any) are not amazed by their extensive rail network and long for such a thing to exist all across the United States. Something about being able to walk 5 minutes, hop on a train, and go anywhere they could possibly imagine, quickly, is something I think most of us can stand behind. Driving sucks. So why are trains so awesome and fast? For starters, they are grade separated. This means that trains have their own...