Pritzker Fellow Peter Meijer on "Transportation & the American Dream"

(Current UChicago Students Only)

Thursday, March 23

12:30-1:45 PM

Blessed by 2.3 billion acres of terrain, from the majesty of Monument Valley to the endless expanse of the plains, the breadth of America holds an allure that’s easiest to unlock behind the wheel. “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road,” Kerouac wrote. Granted, most driving is far less ambitious: commutes, errands, the rote realities of everyday life. The year before On the Road was published, President Eisenhower signed the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956 into law, leading to the explosive growth of the interstate highway system and federally-funded ‘urban renewal’ efforts that resulted in the decimation of many urban areas throughout the country.

While government financing and management of roadways is both logical and the norm since the turnpikes and private toll roads of the 19th century, modern federal transportation regulation began with the creation of the Department of Transportation in 1967. From mandatory safety features to the auto dealer networks to the price of gas, the hand of government relations is omnipresent. This session will look at transportation costs in the United States compared to other countries, and dive into questions like why it costs 5x as much per mile to build subways in New York compared to the average of Madrid, London, Rome, and Berlin, and how we can get to where we need to go faster and cheaper.

Pritzker Fellows seminars are off the record and open to current UChicago students only. Seating in the IOP Living Room is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact Ashley Jorn (ashleyjorn@uchicago.edu).