The United States (U.S.) and Germany are both major automobile manufacturing countries, yet their rates of car usage differ enormously. The U.S. is primarily automobile dependent, with 86% of daily trips in 2009 taken by car, whereas in Germany, that figure is only 54% (Buehler et al., 2017, p. 4). According to transportation scholars Buehler and Pucher, population density alone cannot account for this discrepancy: “[e]ven controlling for differences between [Germany and the United States] in demographics, socio-economics, and land use, logistic regressions show that Germans are five times as likely as Americans to use public transport” (2012, p. 541). My research has identified the post-World War II era (defined as 1950-1980) as the crucial stage during which the course was set for transportation policy, culture, and infrastructure in each country (for the purpose of comparison with the U.S. and present unified Germany, I focused on West Germany during the years of separation). Within this timeframe, I examined policy differences which shaped land use and infrastructure funding, the impact of class expectations and race relations on cultural attitudes toward the city and public transit, and the car as an object of cultural significance. I analyzed television commercials as primary sources which reflect corporate and cultural attitudes toward modes of transportation. Finally, I discussed the current situation of transportation in the U.S. and Germany and argued for the formative impact of the postwar era.
References
Buehler, Ralph; Pucher, John (2012): Demand for Public Transport in Germany and the USA: An Analysis of Rider Characteristics. In Transport Reviews 32 (5), pp. 541–567.
Buehler, Ralph; Pucher, John; Gerike, Regine; Götschi, Thomas (2017): Reducing car dependence in the heart of Europe: lessons from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In Transport Reviews 37 (1), pp. 4–28.
Author: Aimee Liston
Faculty Advisor: Mariana Ivanova, German Department
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