Whenever I travel, if there is public rail transport I try to take it. Mostly just to have a look. I didn’t realize that the US was actually ahead in public rail until somewhat recently. Of course older cities like Boston, New York and Washington DC have subways, but newer “Sunbelt” cities have relied exclusively on cars. I have a deep suspicion that you can’t be a world class city without good public mass transit. Some cities like Dallas, Phoenix and Atlanta are trying to add rail, but after building out a cars-only city it may be a tough job. From The Urban Condition.

America’s Transit Exceptionalism