ABSTRACT
At one time, housing, urban development and transit were co-evolving partners in city building; the urban centre and its streetcar suburbs defined a uniquely American form of metropolis. This form was at once focused on the city and decentralized around transit-rich suburban districts. It offered the best of both worlds, vital urban centres and walkable mixed-use suburbs. During the postWorld War II decades, this balance was disrupted by the elimination of the streetcar systems along with the proliferation of freeways, mass-produced tract housing, and suburban shopping centres and office parks.
