A Critique of Lewis Mumford's Idea of ​​Transportation In this essay I will prove why Lewis Mumford's essay, "The Highway and the City" is invalid. Specifically, I will critique Mumford's ideas on the importance of pedestrian modes of transportation as opposed to private automobile transportation. I will also criticize Mumford's ideas regarding sociability, the benefits of agriculture in urban areas, the overall benefits of replacing public transportation over long and short distances, and that his ideas are too extreme to be taken at face value. serious. Finally, I will prove that the possible criticism of the environmental benefits of mass transportation is false. Mumford's argument about highways is very extreme because he uses too many extremities to support his argument. One such extremity is found at the beginning of Mumford's essay when he states that highway maintenance interferes with the sociability aspect of our society and its function: To have a minimum of communication and sociability in this life spread out, his wife becomes a taxi driver. by daily occupation, and the amount of money it costs to run this whole system leaves it with shamefully overcrowded and understaffed schools, inadequate police, underserved hospitals, underserved recreational areas spaced out, poorly funded libraries (p. 361). This quote explains Many things Mumford says are wrong with our highway system. It begins with the minimum communication provided by the use of private motor vehicles. However, this lack of sociability due to the private car is false. To prove that sociability is not a factor in the use of private motor vehicles, I will criticize Mumford's emphasis on diminishing communication in urban areas. According to Merriam Webs...... middle of paper......and the demands of the people. Agriculture is only a possibility if the land is developed, but there is no guarantee that it will be, while sociability is not a factor in transportation but rather a factor when a person arrives at their destination. It is true that private cars harm our environment, but in this case the only transportation option available (subways, trains) will not meet people's demand when everyone uses these mass transportation systems. Walking is especially difficult in dangerous weather and when the subway/train is full, people are left with no other transportation options in the short term. The use of highways, public transport and private motor vehicles is necessary in urban areas where there are large numbers of able-bodied and disabled people who need to get to their destination in all weather conditions, where the supply meets transportation demand..