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78 BRUCE LIEDSTRAND Page 4 COMMUNITY DESIGN DIRECTOR City of Redwood City Downtown and Transportation Relationships, Connections and Integration Background Paper June, 2006 This paper will outline the important relationships between Downtown Redwood City and the transportation systems (plane, train, bus, shuttle bus, truck, car, bicycle, pedestrian) that serve it and are essential to its success. It is intended to serve as background information for future decisions. Historical Context From the earliest times, cities have had a strong connection with transportation, Many early cities were built on a river or lake or at the intersection of roads or paths to facilitate movement of people and goods from one place to another. This city/transportation relationship is still strong today; people and goods still need to be moved from one place to another. The available transportation systems affect the form of a city and the form of a city affects the efficiency of the transportation systems that serve it. Up until World War n cities were generally compact and walkable and often were served by trains and public transit such as streetcars and buses. The great expansion in the use of cars after WWII provided a new, more flexible transportation alternative and allowed cities to spread out at lower densities. During the same time, as a response to the problems of noxious industries, zoning laws began to separate industrial, residential, and retail developments into separate areas of the city. The city was no longer as walkable, but cars provided access and mobility. This was the suburban, auto dependent, development pattern that is common on the Peninsula. This suburban pattern was based on two unspoken assumptions: 1. There was plenty of land, and 2. One could get around easily by car. - 1 - - ,.-.....,