I don't know why transit-oriented vs transit-hostile really matters for HSR. Again, millions of people currently fly between US cities even when driving is a realistic option.
Flying between cities means making a local connection of some kind, and somehow millions of people find a way to travel those last few miles even when local transit isn't an option. HSR will end up working the same way, with the added bonus that you can take the train into downtown if that's where you need to go.
Personally I wish HSR was a catalyst for US cities to re-orient around transit, but that's wishful thinking. Our culture has not gotten any less auto-centric in the last 30 years, and the cost of building transit has now wildly exceeded our willingness to pay for it as a society. Honestly the cost : demand ratio is worse than it's ever been; for decades many cities were able to build out light-rail systems with Federal help, but now it's just not fiscally possible - just look at Austin.
__________________
la forme d'une ville change plus vite, hélas! que le coeur d'un mortel...
|