The development of transportation policy in Los Angeles is a story of extremes. New book by director and founder of the independent Center of Automotive Management (CAM) at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, sheds light on the city’s extreme shifts in mobility policies and their enduring consequences. From boasting the world’s largest regional rail network in the 1920s to its current status as a symbol of car-oriented mobility, the city’s journey reflects global trends, offering invaluable insights for policymakers worldwide.
Credit: World Scientific
The development of transportation policy in Los Angeles is a story of extremes. New book by director and founder of the independent Center of Automotive Management (CAM) at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, sheds light on the city’s extreme shifts in mobility policies and their enduring consequences. From boasting the world’s largest regional rail network in the 1920s to its current status as a symbol of car-oriented mobility, the city’s journey reflects global trends, offering invaluable insights for policymakers worldwide.
The book, tracing the history of transportation policy in Los Angeles up to the present day, reveals the pitfalls of supply- and infrastructure-oriented approaches. Despite massive investments in a local public transport system since the 1990s, traffic problems persist, exemplifying the self-reinforcing cycle of increasing demand and worsening congestion. The findings underscore the need for a nuanced understanding of the spatial, social, and economic interdependencies inherent in transport policy.
One crucial revelation from the analysis is the counterintuitive impact of road expansion. Contrary to expectations, Extremes of Mobility: Development and Consequences of Transport Policy in Los Angeles demonstrates that the supply-oriented expansion of expressways and motorways exacerbates traffic congestion rather than alleviating it. Los Angeles serves as a cautionary tale for other cities globally, as similar trends of spatial separation between living and working unfold, leading to increased commuting distances and traffic woes.
The global relevance of Los Angeles’ experience is underscored by comparisons with Germany, where commuter numbers have surged to a new high of 20.3 million in 2022. The challenges faced by major German cities, such as Munich, mirror those of Los Angeles, emphasizing the universal applicability of the lessons drawn from the extreme case study. The book concludes that a sustainable solution to metropolitan region problems demands a holistic understanding of transport’s origins, spatial dynamics, and social and economic impacts. Policies emphasizing infrastructure expansion or commuter incentives without considering these factors risk perpetuating ecologically and socially detrimental patterns that are challenging to reverse.
Extremes of Mobility: Development and Consequences of Transport Policy in Los Angeles retails for US$88 / £80 (hardcover) and is also available in electronic formats. To order or know more about the book, visit http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/13474.
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About the Author
Stefan Bratzel is director and founder of the independent Center of Automotive Management (CAM) at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach. After completing his studies in political science and later earning his doctorate, Bratzel worked in and around the auto industry. Among other positions, he has held posts as a project manager at the Daimler subsidiary smart, as program manager Automotive at the Telefonica/Sonera subsidiary Group3G, and as the head of Business Development Automotive at PTV AG. Since April 2004, he has worked as a senior lecturer and course program director for automotive management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach (Cologne area). In his research, Stefan Bratzel deals with the conditions for success and survival of automobile manufacturers and suppliers as well as future questions of mobility. Based on empirical studies, he examines the innovation trends in the automotive industry and the evolving mobility ecosystem. As a well-known industry expert, he is one of the most cited automobile economists in Germany in the press, radio and television.
About World Scientific Publishing Co.
World Scientific Publishing is a leading international independent publisher of books and journals for the scholarly, research and professional communities. World Scientific collaborates with prestigious organisations like the Nobel Foundation and US National Academies Press to bring high quality academic and professional content to researchers and academics worldwide. The company publishes about 600 books and over 170 journals in various fields annually. To find out more about World Scientific, please visit www.worldscientific.com.
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DOI
10.1142/13474
