As I was traveling North to South in Russia, from Krasnodar to St. Petersburg, one thing stood out more than any other. Every city we were in, big or small, had amazing public transportation.
Combining electric and diesel buses and electric trams it seems very possible to get around without a car, and, with the use of renewable electricity, very few carbon and pollutant emissions.
In addition, Moscow and St. Petersburg both had very extensive and efficient subway systems (and Moscow’s allowed the rider to witness amazing architecture – see pictures).
While I love democracy, I don’t think most of this would have been possible if it weren’t for the fact that Stalin, the Czars, and later communist leaders were able to use lost of money to fund these projects and limit access to cars.
Hopefully this will be the look of modern cities in the future.
Rabbi Brian Immerman 