Discussion On American Federal Urban Transit Policy And Its Influence In The Late20^Th Century

Since1920s, the urban public transportation in the U.S. represented by electric streetcar had begun to decline, as the patronage of mass transit dropped rapidly at the same time. After WWII, with the popularity of automobiles and immigration from inner cities to the suburbs, the central city also declined. However the traffic congestion of American cities had become more and more serious. Due to efforts taken by different parties concerned, the federal government started to pay attention to the problems of urban mass transit, and intervened the transit industry by its policies. This thesis tries to analyze the relationship between federal policy and the development of urban mass transit in the late20th century through federal transit acts.The first chapter mainly depicts the rise and fall of urban public transportation in the U.S. before1960s, in which the rise of public transportation, the prosperity of electric streetcar, the decline of urban transit and its reasons will be given longer length of the essay to introduce.The second chapter elaborates the formation and development of federal transit policy in the1960s and1970s, especially analyzing the background, content and influence of federal transit acts.The third chapter mainly states the process of public ownership of transit industry since the formation of federal transit policy. In addition, the transformation of federal transit policy and the rise of privatization in urban transit after1980s will also be mentioned.The fourth chapter mainly describes the new actions on urban transit taken by federal governments, in which focusing on the two important federal acts.The fifth chapter will analyze the impact of federal policy on urban transit industry by sorting out the transformation of federal transit policies.In the conclusion, I would point out the gains and losses in federal transit policies, in which the effect on revitalizing transit industry made by federal government is limited. But at the same time, I have to emphasize the importance of federal transit policy to revitalize the central cities and keep the urban transportation system in good operational state.