Description
Book SynopsisThe familiar image of Los Angeles as a metropolis built for the automobile is crumbling. This title presents the history of this system by drawing on archival documents, contemporary news accounts, and interviews with many of the key players to provide critical behind-the-scenes accounts of the people and forces that shaped the system.
Trade Review"Generally known as the car-commuter capital of the country, Los Angeles has had a long and complicated relationship with public transportation, and Elkind ... has taken on the daunting task of mapping out the messy saga." -- Daniel Davis-Williams LA Magazine "A fascinating account of LA's move away from an almost religious attachment to the automobile." -- Dan Farber Legal Planet "Essential reading." -- Josh Stephens California Planning & Development Report "Railtown is a must-read for everyone interested in the still-unfolding renaissance of rail in LA and a recommended read for any urban scholar wanting to be fascinated by the intricacies of local infrastructure decision-making." -- Deike Peters International Journal of Urban and Regional Research "For those wanting to understand the details of Metro Rail's checkered history, this is the book to read." -- David R Godschalk Urban Land
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction: The Once and Future Railtown 1. An Eighteen-Month Promise 2. The New Mulholland 3. Bureaucratic Paper Shuffling and Jurisdictional Squabbling 4. Henry Waxman's Hot Air 5. Tunnel Stiffs, Fires, and Sinkholes 6. The Wish List 7. A Knife in the Seat 8. Of Race and Rail 9. Switching Tracks 10. Subway to the Sea Conclusion: The Future of Los Angeles Rail and the American City Notes Bibliography Index
