Originally Posted by B. Carfree

If we take that from a geographical standpoint, then it is accurate that most of this nation is indeed relatively sparsely developed. However, since we are talking about people and where they live, this should be looked at from a weighted average based on population density. Looked at that way, your contention is not in line with reality. Simply put, the overwhelming majority of Americans live in places that have pretty high population densities and adequate public transit and walking infrastructure; there's a lot of land in Wyoming and Montana, but not many people so those few people's transit woes don't mean much to most Americans.

Even when I lived in Texas with a child under age two, we had no problem getting around town and to the physician's office without resorting to using a car. This isn't as difficult as you seem to imagine it is, but it is on the other side of the looking glass for many people who have been convinced that their car addiction is necessary. It wasn't that long ago that a typical American household had one car for two adults and three children. In many of those households the car was used by the breadwinner to commute and the other parent handled those physician appointments and such without a car. It's amazing how far we have fallen in just two generations of marketing.