The rise in the amount of time spent commuting is a drag on both national productivity and the quality of life in modern cities. A survey conducted in the Indian city of Mumbai revealed that railway commuters’ average daily journey was 22 kilometers, while rapid urbanization there and in much of the developing world is only likely to increase the length of commutes.
而这样的成本并不仅仅以自然资源的形式出现。自然资源的消耗是持续不变的，并可以被未来世代沿袭。我们不会将其耗尽。在现代城市，花在通勤上的时间对国家生产力和生活质量都是一种拖累。在印度城市孟买进行的一项调查表明，坐火车通勤的上班族平均每天的通勤距离是22公里。同时，该地和许多发展中地区一样的快速城市化似乎只会增加通勤的距离。