I grew up in Moscow, and my family used a private car to get around the city. I always knew where I was, because I figured one day my turn would come to navigate the roads on my own.
I’m raising my daughter in Manhattan, the least car-friendly place in the US. Until we ditched transit and began driving everywhere, she had no idea where we were or in which direction we were heading. Nowadays she makes suggestions from the back seat regarding which road is best and which stops we must make on the way.
That, my friends, is anecdata; but so is every citylab article. The world can’t be described by a naive generalization that, ironically, even a child can see through.
I grew up in Toronto and relied primarily on public transit growing up. As a kid, I would have a good mental model of the area around a subway station but as soon as we went underground it was like a wormhole to another part of the city. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I had a good model of how the areas around the different subway stations connected with each other.
Did you rely primarily on the subway system before you ditched transit?
My daughter was mainly a bus rider, as the places she usually goes aren’t served by the subway. I used to ride the subway to work, but I haven’t in years since I’ve turned to working from home.
My theory is that traveling in a vehicle that is “on rails” (train or tram or bus - they’re all alike in that their routes are predetermined) removes every bit of agency from the passenger, and leaves them completely disconnected from details of the route. Passengers engage in conversation or bring entertainment with them that further weakens the spatial link.
Those traveling in private cars have at least some opportunity left to influence their trajectory or destination. “Perhaps you should make a right turn here” or “let’s stop for ice cream at that place we like” are both things that get said along the way. There’s also the constant stream of teachable moments supplied by other drivers in the form of poor vehicle control.
I’m raising my daughter in Manhattan, the least car-friendly place in the US. Until we ditched transit and began driving everywhere, she had no idea where we were or in which direction we were heading. Nowadays she makes suggestions from the back seat regarding which road is best and which stops we must make on the way.
That, my friends, is anecdata; but so is every citylab article. The world can’t be described by a naive generalization that, ironically, even a child can see through.