Streetfilms: Fixing the Great Mistake of Planning for Cars
"Fixing the Great Mistake" is a new Streetfilms series that
examines what went wrong in the early part of the 20th century, when
our cities began catering to the automobile, and how those decisions
continue to affect our lives today.
9:34 AM PST on February 26, 2010

“Fixing the Great Mistake” is a new Streetfilms series that
examines what went wrong in the early part of the 20th century, when
our cities began catering to the automobile, and how those decisions
continue to affect our lives today.
In
this episode, Transportation Alternatives director Paul Steely White
shows how planning for cars drastically altered Park Avenue in New York City. Watch and
see what Park Avenue used to look like, how we ceded it to the
automobile, and what we need to do to reclaim the street as a space
where people take precedence over traffic.
More from Streetsblog San Francisco
Op-Ed: Don’t Blow Sunday Streets
Cutting San Francisco's premier open-streets event is not the formula for revitalizing the city
Christopher Kucera
March 31, 2026
How To Fix The Broken Gas Tax
Drivers aren't paying their fair share — and no one else is getting their due. Is it time to rethink our federal road funding mechanisms?
March 30, 2026
Chicago to St. Louis Is the High-Speed Rail Test America Can’t Afford to Fail
A looming deadline could be the end of high speed rail in Illinois — or the beginning of an entire midwest network, a top advocate argues.
March 30, 2026
Headlines, March 30
Get state headlines at Streetsblog California, national headlines at Streetsblog USA
March 30, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.