The development of effective mass transportation was a key step in improving living conditions in the modern city. Electric streetcars, subways, and elevated trains reduced traffic congestion and pollution. They also facilitated the physical expansion of the city by making it possible for urbanites to live farther away from their place of work. The emergence of wealthy suburbs as distinctive feature of modern cities was a direct consequence of the revolution in urban transportation. As you watch these films, think about the impact of mass transportation on urban life. How did the cities of the early twentieth century differ from the “walking” cities that had preceded them?

Elevated Train (1903)

Subway (1905)

Source: Video courtesy of Library of Congress, Moving Image Section.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER