A sea of red lights

Mr. Schwartz’s summary of road-building techniques and dissection of city grids explain historical developments that we live with today. Spiderweb grids with radiating spokes, for instance, replace inefficient right angles with nifty diagonals, but their routes become more indirect the further travelers are from the center, adding to traveling time. His account of President Eisenhower’s creation of the interstate highway system is riveting, as is his informed discussion of the rise and fall of streetcars.

WSJ