The Effect of Car Culture on Our Lives

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America's car culture is well documented and, these days, often bemoaned. But where does that culture actually come from and how does it affect our day to day lives? At Planetizen, they spoke to Anne Lutz Fernandez, author of the new book Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives, about how Americans view their own driving habits:

When we asked people, "Why do you think we drive as much as we do as Americans?" we were surprised how many people came back with, "We have no choice. I have no choice but to drive as much as I do, because of the way the country is laid out." People feel trapped by the built environment, but then they also don't recognize how many choices they're making from day-to-day.

Read the full interview, which touches on subjects like the banality of car ads and the Starbucks effect, here.