The greater Reno area stands at a pivotal moment, facing the consequences of decades of car-centric urban planning and the unchecked expansion of single-family homes. I urge you to take a step back and critically assess the wider implications of these trends. Research from institutions like the National Safety Council and the Federal Highway Administration shows that cars—and the infrastructure built to support them—are not only harmful to the health, vitality, and traffic flow of our city, but are also tied to a troubling history of systemic racism and inequality.
Consider the suburban ideal, epitomized by Levittown, the first American suburb. This development wasn’t just about creating homes; it was a deliberate strategy to segregate Black people and preserve white communities. Single-family zoning—a pillar of suburban development—systematically excluded minorities from the American dream of homeownership. Meanwhile, governments like California’s used eminent domain to bulldoze vibrant, diverse communities, often displacing people of color, to pave the way for highways that prioritized cars over human connection. These policies were not accidents but deliberate choices, and we are living with the consequences today.
In Reno, these decisions manifest in an unhealthy obsession with automobiles and sprawling single-family developments. Our city has become an inhospitable place for pedestrians and cyclists. It’s no longer safe to walk or bike in many areas of downtown Reno, as streets are dominated by speeding vehicles and an infrastructure that prioritizes parking lots over parks, highways over human-scaled neighborhoods. This car-centric culture marginalizes anyone who doesn’t drive, disproportionately affecting low-income residents and perpetuating the environmental damage caused by excessive vehicle use.
Beyond safety and accessibility, this obsession with cars has shaped Reno’s identity in unhealthy ways. We’ve built our lives around sprawling developments that isolate residents from one another, eroding the sense of community that cities thrive upon. This prioritization of single-family homes and endless roads caters to the convenience of a few while making it increasingly difficult for Renoites to envision a different way of living.
The path forward requires a dramatic shift in how we think about urban design. We need to challenge the notion that cars are the default mode of transportation and single-family homes are the only viable form of housing. We should demand policies that prioritize walkable, bikeable neighborhoods, public transit, and diverse housing options that foster community rather than division.
Reno deserves better than this outdated narrative of car dependency and suburban sprawl. By acknowledging the historical injustices that brought us here and confronting the ways these patterns persist, we can start to rebuild a city that prioritizes people over vehicles, connection over isolation, and equity over exclusion. Let’s not let Reno become another casualty of America’s unhealthy obsession with automobiles. It’s time to change the narrative—and the landscape—of our city.
Reference Material
Heanue, Kevin, “Highway Capacity and Induced Travel: Issues, Evidence and Implications,” paper for TRB, Washington, DC: US DOT/FHWA, January 1997.
National Safety Council. (n.d.). Deaths by transportation mode - injury facts. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/home-and-community/safety-topics/deaths-by-transportatio n-mode/
Yeo J, Park S, Jang K. Effects of urban sprawl and vehicle miles traveled on traffic fatalities. Traffic Inj Prev. 2015;16(4):397-403. doi: 10.1080/15389588.2014.948616. Epub 2014 Dec 23. PMID: 25133315.
Submitted by Omar in December 2024 for Our Town Reno’s Citizen’s Forum