The Car-dependent Society: A European Perspective

by Hans Jeekel

Overview

Cars are essential in modern Western societies. Some even say that our modern lifestyles would have been impossible without cars. The dependency of Western societies on our cars is a unique situation in history, but does not get much attention; car use is seen as just a normal situation. The population at large knows the risks, knows the disadvantages, experiences the advantages and keeps driving. Using data from Western Europe, this book examines three key themes: frequent car use, car dependence, and the future of passenger car mobility in societies. In conclusion, in modern Western risk societies, more attention needs to be paid to car dependence, its driving forces, its advantages, its problems and challenges for the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317039396
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/01/2016
Series:	Transport and Society
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	292
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Hans Jeekel, Rijkswaterstaat (National Road and Water Agency), The Netherlands.

Table of Contents

Contents: Frequent car use and car dependence in the risk society: an introduction; Part 1 Setting the Scene: Modern risk society and car mobility; Attitudes and motives for car use; From frequent car use to car dependence. Part 2 Problems and Perspectives: Frequent car use: energy and sustainability questions; Frequent car use: societal questions; Scenarios for the governance of car mobility; The social and cultural aspects of mobility: towards a research agenda; Summary and conclusions; Addendum; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'From the point of view of urbanism, Jeekel points out something key relating to space: the trend towards building new highway locations should be reversed. Restructuring existing areas would be wiser than creating new businesses and housing areas, while letting older and poorer areas lose their identities and positives. These changes will lead to less car dependent societies, raising the quality of life and hence accessibility for carless and poorer households. Some will say that this is easier said than done, but Jekeel points where to start. This book is recommended for those interested in how the world’s growing population will attempt to face one of its biggest challenges.' LSE Review of Books 'There is much to like about The Car-Dependent Society. Jeekel begins with an ambitious theoretical framework related to modernism and risk that he carries forward throughout the book and links to growing auto mobility and dependence. He develops his arguments by reviewing an extensive body of literature on a wide array of topics. Perhaps the strongest aspect of the book is his use of descriptive data. ...' Journal of Regional Science

From the Publisher