Some of it&#x27;s also that the large-scale buildout of automotive infrastructure happened at a time when governments at all levels in the US had pretty wide latitude to &quot;make things so.&quot; While there are some pretty bad examples of urban planning from that era, there are other things that are pretty much net positives. This includes much of the interstate highway system but also includes other projects like Lincoln Center in New York. Today, for better or worse, outside of extreme urban blight it would be incredibly difficult for a city government to just bulldoze an entire neighborhood.