CRITICAL POSITION

When the car became easily obtainable as a result of industrial revolution, cities began to change. Homes were built further and further away from the amenities and place of work while the dependency on cars grew in conjunction with the size of cities; which resulted in what we know today as urban sprawl. Subsequently, people began spending more time on the road commuting, and less time in their own communities. Urban sprawl divides the population in terms of income level, which eventually leads to ethnic segregation. The emergence of tract homes provides very little architectural stimulation and suburbia fuels the need for cars and roads. Not only are the roads very expensive to maintain, most cities lack the funds for proper upkeep of the infrastructure; the black tops also contribute to heat absorption of the sun resulting in the heat island effect.
Dependency on the automobiles cause depletion of natural fossil fuel and create pollution that contributes to global warming and the depletion of ozone layers. Still, automobiles are heavily used in urban centers because they are not designed around the needs of the pedestrians. City districts need to incorporate mixed use where people can live, work and play; be socially, culturally and economically diverse while retaining their own characteristics.