Why the hell is America's public transportation so terrible? That's today's big question, and my guest is Nicholas Dagen Bloom. He's the author of the subtly titled new book, the Great American Transit Disaster. Nicholas is a professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College. He's the author of a bunch of books including Public Housing That Worked, The Metropolitan Airport and How States Shaped Post-War America. He's also the co-editor of the prize-winning Public Housing Myths and Affordable Housing in New York. This new book, the Great American Transit Disaster (out now) is a deep dive into how we got here, and the overwhelming evidence that transit divestment was a choice rather than destiny, with a lot of actors involved.The willful divestment over the past 100 years to purposefully build out our car culture today drives a full third of our greenhouse gas emissions. Undoing it won't be an easy or simple task. But the good news is, there are multi solving opportunities everywhere for not only less racism and fewer emissions, but for more and better housing everywhere, for better and more plentiful, safer transportation options, and for healthier bodies and minds. -----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:The Great American Transit Disaster by Nicholas Dagen BloomWalkable City Rules by Jeff SpeckFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Connect with Nicholas and follow more of his workRead David Zipper's Bloomberg piece on Nick's book, and follow David's other transit workFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettEdited by Anthony LucianiProduced by