If a city is a conglomeration of asphalt and buildings, then Cars are just a part of that. Sure traffic jams suck, but another effect of a car is less social interaction overall. If a city is a place for people to live, interact, share ideas etc, the picking up the dry cleaning by driving is not only bad for the environment etc, it's also a way to really isolate yourself from others en route to your destination. Commutes on the other hand where you're driving yourself can be equally anti social and wastes the most precious thing we have, time. In NYC, used to take the subway. I was able to read books, meet others. Got to know some neighbors who also took the train the at the same time to get to work, and even ran into friends I hadn't seen in a while. I'm sure you wouldn't want to run into a long lost friend while driving (or anyone else for that fact).
After moving down south I realized how little social interaction I get outside my specifically chosen work group or actively seeking out social engagements. Mass transportation is sparse at best here and walking to the dry cleaners would take half a day.
Good point. One of the best places for social interaction in the US are universities. It's no coincidence that students rarely own cars.
Back in my college (Yale), the campus and building layouts were pretty great. Some dorm complexes were much larger than city blocks, food was available in most living spaces. The ability to bump into people you know without need for mass planning is sorely missing from "adult" life.
Most of that is due to college being an incredibly efficient social filter. The odds of a social interaction between Yale student and another being worthwhile (so to speak) are an order of magnitude higher than a Yale student and non-Yale New Haven dweller.
After moving down south I realized how little social interaction I get outside my specifically chosen work group or actively seeking out social engagements. Mass transportation is sparse at best here and walking to the dry cleaners would take half a day.