Throughout the last hundred years, the structure of the displacement of people within their towns has changed profoundly, for several reasons. This has led countries to make decisions with regard to the models of urban mobility to be used in their main centers.

Evidently, this has impacted the culture of these places, and it is important for potential expatriates to know the reality that they may be facing in the future. This is a way of avoiding unnecessarily abrupt surprises or adaptations with regard to the country they move to.

In the first half of the 20th century, first world countries were able to urbanize their major centers thinking of the private automobile as the main means of the population’s transport. A great majority of European capitals and all the North American big cities were greatly influenced by cars for a time.

However, due to the inefficiency of that model, not only in terms of mobility, but also of sustainability, there was a readjustment, mainly in European countries, of the transportation structure. Investments in collective transport, such as trains, bus lines, and non-polluting private transports, such as bicycles, have become the main solution since the 70’s.

Private cars have lost space in daily life, suffering, in many cases, loss of incentives for production, and taxation for their contribution to the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Thus, Europe as a whole, in its main centers, has adapted to the model of collective transport as the best solution for urban displacements. 

In the USA, however, it was a different story. The urbanization of major cities was also done with great importance attached to private vehicles. However, they opted to maintain that model. Thus, the main North American centers, even the regional ones, are centered on circulation with private cars. This justifies, for instance, the whole structure of suburban life in American towns, where cars are vastly used for any type of mundane tasks.

The economic relationship is also different. The financing of cars, as well as consumption of fuel, is accessible and encouraged by the market. Thus, historically, it is implied in American life that cars are essential displacement tools.

Environmental movements have sought to change this perception in the USA. They propose solutions of collective transport as a way to reduce the massive consumption of fuel by the country’s population. However, these changes are slow, and will take time to be finally achieved.

Having deep knowledge of one’s new country is a very important aspect when planning a move. FINK will help you to structure a plan for what is so important in anyone’s life.

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