The infrastructure surrounding transportation is the foundation that America is built on. Throughout the country’s history, its infrastructure has changed, impacting lives. American cities have always had main thoroughfares for transport of people and goods. The pace of these streets was much slower than it is now though. Before cars, the street was shared by everyone using it. This was because there wasn’t any issue with pedestrians not having enough time to move out of the way of carts pulled by horses. (Norton) Children played on the streets, which was a necessary space for them because families often worked, and there was not much domestic space for children to occupy. Kids were such a common part of the street traffic that cash rewards were often given to the lucky children who helped catch runaway horses (Ward).

With the advent of cars, the street began to change in character. Cars became more and more affordable, while advocate groups for automobiles gained traction within the public eye and government. Policymakers began to view nondrivers as the minority, a vision that always leaves children unaccounted for. Nevertheless, automobiles gained traction within American life, becoming a utility throughout the 1920s and well into the 30s. (Petroski) This idea of utility meant that infrastructure changed to fit the needs of drivers, not pedestrians. In practice, this looked like paved streets meant only for cars. These streets were wider too, meant to accommodate parked cars on the sides and traffic from both directions. All of these changes took away space from the pedestrian and gave priority to the motorist. 

The change towards cars as the dominant mode of transport had some positive effects on children’s health though. The lack of demand for horses meant that they declined in numbers, taking their stables with them as well. These horses and their infrastructure had been the main supplier of manure for city streets, and with them gone, children’s health improved. In a study undertaken by Hoa Nguyen, she found that a 100% increase in driver registration provided 32 fewer deaths from infectious diseases spread through manure. (Nguyen)