Los Angeles and the Automobile: The Making of the Modern City (Paperback)

by Scott L. Bottles (Author) "Perhaps no technological innovation has affected the character of American cities as much as the automobile..." (more)
Key Phrases: union station controversy, parking controversy, crowded traffic conditions, Los Angeles, United States, Railroad Commission (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
As the first great auto-age metropolis, Los Angeles deserves study to understand the public choices that were made and the pattern that other cities followed. Unlike some books, like Howard Preston's Automobile Age Atlanta ( LJ 8/79), Bottles's does not focus on social consequences. Instead, he deals with public policy, particularly as it was influenced by public attitudes toward mass transit alternatives. For Bottles automobiles came to dominate Los Angeles because the public believed cars met their personal and economic needs better than street cars or trains. He rejects the idea of a conspiracy of car-related industries or the mere technological superiority of the automobile as reasons for the outcome. A well-argued but controversial scholarly defense of the automobile-age city. Charles K. Piehl, Associate Dean, Arts & Humanities, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"[A] stimulating case study for those concerned with understanding the automobile metropolis at its early formative stages. The author successfully relates developments in Los Angeles to developments elsewhere in the United States, giving his arguments the potential of universal application."--John A. Jakle, "Growth and Change

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Product Details

• Paperback: 315 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (May 28, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520073959
• ISBN-13: 978-0520073951
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #805,311 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book!!, January 30, 2007

By	Kim Bottles "cyclist/sailor" (Bainbridge Island, WA) - See all my reviews

OK, I have to issue a full disclosure here; the author is my brother. But that said Scott has written a great little book. We grew up in LA and had always heard stories about how the auto companies ruined public transportation in LA in order to sell more cars. Scott decided to check that story out while he was studying for a PhD in history at UCLA. The result is this book. So if you want to know the truth about how LA came to be the automobile centered city it is, read his book. Cheers!

5.0 out of 5 stars How did transporation in LA die?, January 2, 2007

By	Lehigh History Student - See all my reviews

Why did the urban transportation system in Los Angeles die? This book takes a very multifaceted approach and looks beyond the automobile as its cause. The title is a little misleading. The book covers the downfall of public transpiration in California and how the car impacted life in southern California. There is actually very little urban analysis done here but it covers the public policy of early 1900's very well. You get a sense for how the municipalities and federal government responded in California and see the way in which the auto shaped those policies. The auto was very influential in the downfall of public transportation and I was surprised to see how many auto related interests owned stakes in public transport companies. For those just getting started on urban history this is a good book to start with and he sites the great source on suburbs Crabgrass Frontier (well worth the time to read). Very well written and fun especially if you grew up around LA.