Nagpal 1

Revant Nagpal

ENG - 1201

Prof Angela

17 March 2019

Casebook

Alder, Simon. “Chinese Roads in India: The Effect of Transport Infrastructure on

Economic Development, by Simon Alder.” 51st Annual Transportation Research Forum,

Arlington, Virginia, March 11-13, 2010, Transportation Research Forum, Feb. 2015,

https://economicdynamics.org/meetpapers/2015/paper_1447.pdf.

Summary: Author Simon Alder has written “Chinese Roads in India: The Effect of Transport

Infrastructure on Economic Development” which has been presented in the Annual

Transportation Research Forum in March 2010 and has been presented to the Society for

Economic Dynamics in 2015. Alder explains how the overall infrastructure of India could be

improved if the roads were to be built in a network as found in China. India has decided instead

to build the GQ Road which connects the major cities along both coasts with Delhi. The author

bases his analysis on the increase of city lights in night photographs along the completed GQ

Road and equates this with economic progress.

Analysis: The intended audience is those people involved in the planning and construction of

roads and government decision-makers. The report offers ideas to improve the highway

infrastructure in India. The author claims that if India could connect highways in a network

cluster in each region to join intermediate-sized cities, this would benefit many more people for
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the money invested instead of building one long road that connects four major cities as the GQ

Road currently does.

Evaluation: The author is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of North Carolina

at Chapel Hill. It appears that he has presented this paper at least twice to credible research

conferences. The intended audience would be anyone involved in highway planning and large

public projects, including other professors who research best practices in these complex projects.

In terms of currency, the paper reflects thinking of a few years ago. Many highway projects

require years of planning so that the author’s ideas may still find an audience today. The paper is

relevant to my research topic because it deals with setting priorities to use limited public funds,

and these choices can have an impact on culture. In terms of authority and accuracy, the author is

a professor at the University of North Carolina, which is a reputable institution, and he

references the sources of his claims. The bibliography for the paper is about five pages long. The

purpose of the paper is to inform other people who research ways to improve planning of

transportation networks that are critical to improving the economy and quality of life.

Relevance: This paper is relevant to my research paper because it describes planning choices

made in both China and India. It discusses a model to measure how well off communities are.

This paper discusses many issues that need to be considered in the U.S. such as the emphasis on

interstate highways to connect large cities at the expense of neglecting the local networks, as in

India.
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Herr, Phillip, et al. “Federal-State Partnership Produces Benefits and Poses Oversight

Risks .” Report to the Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit,

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Apr. 2012,

purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo25364.

Summary: The author is Phillip Herr and a staff of analysts from the U.S. General Accounting

Office (GAO). It has been presented to the U.S. Congress in April 2012. The paper discusses the

risks and problems found in federal and state funding of road infrastructure. The federal

government may fail to recover unused money from projects. There is a lack of independence in

decisions; some states try to use federal money for their disaster relief when there may be worse

disasters in others states. The federal government is sometimes too involved in planning, and this

poses a conflict of interest when the federal government has to evaluate the project. The federal

government is trying to create a funding system based on performance.

Analysis: This paper is published for public disclosure of federal funding. The GAO has

conducted the study for U.S. Department of Transportation and for the U.S. Congress to aid

these groups in overseeing the use of federal tax money. In terms of context, the report is given

to Congress in 2012, and the country is still recovering from the Great Recession of 2008/09. It

is likely that the government is still trying to get the maximum public benefit for the money

invested in road infrastructure.

Evaluation: This source is very credible because the authors work for the GAO. These analysts

have access to federal and state records that document how money has been spent in the past and

how the two levels of government work together for the good of the public. In terms of currency,

the report is from 2012, but my paper will discuss the effect of highways on the culture of the

U.S. A report that is seven years old is still valid because it shows how government has planned
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roads during that period, which also has contributed to the overall culture we have today. The

portion that describes how federal and state governments plan projects is relevant to the papers

question about how priorithe ties are set, and these decisions shift culture. When considering

thority and accuracy, the GAO must be a reliable because this office has access to the data it

needs. In terms of Purpose, the report is to inform federal government officials about current

funding procedures and to seek ways to improve theses processes.

Relevance: This source is important to the research paper because it describes the steps in

planning highway projects and how the states are given the ultimate authority to decide which

roads they need. This information will help the paper make the case that new or expanding roads

shape towns and the culture of its residents.

Hilke, Jens, and the University of Vermont. “Landscape Change Program: History and

cultural impact of the Interstate Highway system.” The University of Vermont,

www.uvm.edu/landscape/learn/impact_of_interstate_system.html.

Summary: The author Jens Hilke writes for the University of Vermont in 2011 as part of a

collection of articles and multimedia describing the changing environment in the Landscape

Change Program. He provides the history of the Federal Highway Act. He describes how many

groups have lobbied for this act to create new jobs. The related industries make cars, tires,

concrete, steel, and other sectors. The government would also take property quickly from private

owners for the good of the public.

Analysis: This article’s audience is the general public, and the information seems balanced in

promoting the benefits of modern transportation. The Landscape Change Program, which has

organized this information, however, seems to remind readers of what has been lost by these
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gains: people pay less attention to the environment along roads as they hurry to their

destinations. In terms of context, the article appears after the U.S. has seen about two years of the

Great Recession, and there seems to be more interest in travel near home to save money.

Evaluation: The author has an M.S. degree and currently works for a government agency in

Vermont as a biologist. In terms of currency, the article has been published eight years ago, but

the focus of the article is on the transformation of culture from the 1930s to the early 2000s, and

the research paper is concerned with this time frame. A more current article is not needed for

historical background information. In terms of Accuracy, the author quotes his sources

throughout the article. The purpose is to inform readers about decisions that can have lasting

effects on the landscape.

Relevance: This article is directly related to the research topic of culture and roads. The author

quotes M.H. Rose from 1979 in writing that building roads “could be a means to remove urban

decay and promote prosperity.” This research paper is considering how the desire for mobility

has changed where people live and work and other ideas of culture. The author Hilke writes that

“a prosperous society was a mobile society.”

Kaszynski, William. The American Highway: The History and Culture of Roads in the United

States. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland, 2000. Print.

Summary: William Kaszynski is the author of the book The American Highway, published in

2000. He discusses the history of highways in the U.S. that have evolved from simple dirt roads

to the all-weather surfaces found now. He traces the beginning of this development to the Federal

Highway Act of 1921 and the start of gas taxes first levied at the state level in Oregon in 1919,

which would help pay for the infrastructure. The author describes this system aslopment of a
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national highway system as one that has helped commerce among the people and has increased

productivity by speeding transportation and reducing traffic jams.

Analysis: The purpose of this book is to inform and to entertain the general public. The book has

many historical photos and maps. In terms of context, the book is published in 2000, and the

author probably feels the need to explain the 20th century and the quick transformation of the

American landscape owing to the automobile. The author shows the evolution of roads in this

country and describes the changes in towns and cities in response to increasing use of

automobiles and trucks. This book focuses on explaining the past and spends less time thinking

about the future.

Evaluation: The writer does not seem to have an academic background in this subject but has

been collecting information and photographs about roads in the U.S. Many other writers tend to

be confident in his book because some of the other sources used for this research have referred to

this same book in building their arguments. In terms of currency, the information covers the

period ending in 2000, which is nineteen years ago. This is not a problem because the research

paper focuses on the early years and how culture changes in response to roads as found in this

author’s historical account.

Relevance: This book is an important resource because it provides many examples of new

services being created in response to the increasing road infrastructure such as restaurants,

motels, and shops. The book gives multiple examples of business owners selecting specific

locations for food stands that are found along new roads and then having to close or move their

businesses when the government creates new road froms that bypass the old ones, pulling away

the customers. This book supports the purpose of my paper which is to defend a thesis regarding

how roads have influenced the American culture.

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“Magic Highway, U.S.A. (1958).” YouTube, Walt Disney Productions, aired 14 May

1958, 26 Dec. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7icGIHPOviQ.

Summary: Walt Disney Productions is the creator of this video from 1958 which is found on

YouTube. The video proposes bold ideas about the future of transportation such as self-driving

automobiles and special roads that allow travel at super speeds. The video also discusses the

development of mobility in the U.S. and how the development of highways has been the largest

building project in the history of humans. Walt Disney himself says that the most important

symbol of the nation is the highway. This romantic view meets reality in the video when the

narrator discusses the threats to the economy and military defense if road usage continues to

grow without building to meet demand.

Analysis: The purpose of the video is to entertain any TV viewers of the 1950s and to inform

them about the need for expanding the highway system. In terms of context, this production

appears a year or two after Congress approves the expansion of the highway system. The movie

helps unify the nation around the importance of the automobile.

Evaluation: The movie credits Larry Clemmons, Disney animator and screenwriter, as the

author, but he does not appear to be an expert in the area of transportation. The movie is likely

the result of many Walt Disney Production employees. In terms of currency, the movie is from

sixty years ago, but it has been created during the period of great expansion of highways and the

shifting culture. The movie seems accurate in its discussion of the history of transportation and

the threats to the economy with increasing traffic. The movie narrator claims that the time saved

for motorists should be enough to pay for the expanded highways, but the movie does not

provide a source for such claims.

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Relevance: The movie is very relevant to the research paper because Disney is depicting the past,

the present (1958), and the future of transportation and how the lives of everyone might be

improved. American culture, the focus of the research paper, and transportation should change

each other to meet the needs of society. The research paper might consider questions about

whether the U.S. could have achieved the same progress with more emphasis on public

transportation rather than individual vehicles that threaten the environment. This Disney movie

seems to get most viewers excited about the future that proponents of cars have envisioned.

Turchetta, Diane, et al. “Refueling America.” U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal

Highway Administration, FHWA, 31 Jan. 2018,

www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/18winter/02.cfm.

Summary: In the article “Refueling America,” the authors Diane Turchetta, Carter Purcell, and

Sean Nyhan describe the need to rethink the delivery of energy to meet the increasing demand

for alternative fuels in the U.S. The article appeared in the Winter 2018 edition of the Federal

Highway Administration magazine Public Roads. The authors report that many drivers are

reluctant to switch to electric vehicles (EV) because of anxiety about EV range and the

availability of fueling stations. The paper describes the priorities in rolling out new stations to

serve this alternative fuel market by investing in energy corridors that best meet project demand.

Analysis: The article is intended to address the general audience, and its purpose is to describe

the need for more coordination between the private and public sectors in terms of funding and

planning the capability to provide reliable and convenient sources of alternative fuels. In terms of

context, the market demand for EV has been increasing as more car manufacturers are

introducing EV or hybrid electric vehicles.

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Evaluation: The main author is Diane Turchetta, who is a “transportation specialist in FHWA’s

Office of Natural Environment, primarily working on transportation and sustainability issues.”

She has been studying alternative fuels for the government for many years. This government

agency is likely selective in their hiring of experts. The article ranks high in currency being from

last year. The article appears accurate in its giving sources for the information.

Relevance: The article is very relevant to this research topic because the decisions of the

government to promote alternative fuels may lead to new types of businesses. This might shift

where people drive, live, and work. This change in fueling habits, perhaps taking longer breaks

for EV charging, may change American culture as compared to what has been possible with

fossil fuels.

Wasik, Bill. “What the Car Did - And What It Might Do.” The New York Times, The

New York Times, 7 Nov. 2017,

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/07/magazine/tech-design-future-autonomous-

cars-american-interstate-highway-roads-suburbs.html

Summary: The author Bill Wasik points out the conflict of interest in building roads to promote

suburbs and independence from cities that also have encouraged people to resist government

intervention and paying of taxes that support the transportation network. In the 1930s, he reports

that cars have quickly replaced streetcars, and the public makes choices that lead to the creation

of the many freeways. This has cost hundreds of billions and over three decades to complete

most of the freeways. He refers to Disney’s idealistic depiction of the future of cars with its film

Magic Highway U.S.A. from 1958. The author discusses the increased development of self-
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driving cars and wonders how society would change over the coming decades. For example, if

self-driving cars have beds in them, would motel usage decline?

Analysis: The author has written this for the general public. The purpose of the article is to start a

conversation about the future of transportation. In terms of context, the article is from 2017, and

the country has seen a few years of self-driving car research in the media and on the roads in test

models.

Evaluation: The author Bill Wasik is not an expert in the field of transportation, but he is an

editor of the New York Times Magazine. He has written articles on the transformation of culture

through the use of technology. In terms of currency, this article is from 2017 and discusses the

potential of self-driving cars. This technology is still in development and has not yet been fully

introduced on the roads. The author’s review of the early history of cars and how culture has

been transformed seems accurate because this matches details found in other sources.

Relevance: This article is helpful in confirming the questions raised in the research paper about

how cars have transformed American culture. The research paper may consider the ideas of this

author regarding the implications of self-driving cars on how society might respond and change.