HST 701 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Natural Monopoly, Harland Bartholomew, Urban Geography
Document Summary
Federal highway act of 1921 was pivotal in road building in the interwar years. Rural budget for road building was second largest budget in interwar years at 36. 3 billion (1921: these roads soon become obsolete forcing governments to spend even more money on the road network. In the late 19th century railways allowed for decentralization of cities as people could live far away near railway hubs and still be able to commute. In retrospect, villages and rural areas that had always been forced to be isolated, where now able to centralize all of their essential organizations like schools, and markets into larger more consolidated institutes. Previously railway lines in the 19th century had forced people to live at railway hubs, and port towns to form mega cities. Number of motorist grew from less than 500,000 in 1910 to 8. 1 million in 1920. For every 3. 1 driving age americans, there was one registered vehicle.
