Los Angeles,California,for instance,has no subway system and

Los Angeles,California,for instance,has no subway system and the buses are slow.Instead,most commuters drive many miles from their homes to work.Many of these drivers spend several hours each day on busy freeways.New York,by contrast,has a mass transit system - buses,commuter trains,and subways.Because the public transportation is crowded and dirty,however,many people drive private cars,and the traffic jams are worse than in Los Angeles.
On the other hand,some cities have clean,fast,and pleasant public transportation systems.In Paris,France,and Toronto,Canada,for example,anyone can use mass transit to move quickly from one part of the city to another.
The disadvantages of any modern city are not unique to that city - that is,cities all over the world have to solve the problems of traffic jams,crime,housing,energy,drinking water,and overcrowding.Yet many cities have found answers to one or more of these difficulties.Some European cities,such as Stockholm,Sweden,or London,England,have planned communities that provide people with apartments,jobs,shopping centers,green space,entertainment,and transportation.Many U.S.cities are rebuilding their downtown areas.Urban planners can learn from one another.They can try solutions that have been successful in other parts of the world.

以洛杉矶和加州为例,它们都没有地铁系统,巴士也很萧条.取而代之的是,大多数人都是自己驾车数公里从家到公司的.许多司机每天都会在拥挤的高速路上花费数小时.与之相反的,纽约拥有一个大型的交通系统——巴士、市郊往返列车和地铁.因为公共交通工具总是拥挤、肮脏,许多人选择驾驶私家车,所以与洛杉矶相比,这里的交通拥堵更加严重.
另一方面,一些城市拥有干净、快捷、舒适的公共交通系统.例如在法国巴黎、加拿大多伦多,任何人都能通过大型的交通网络快捷的从城市的一边到达另一边.
任何现代化城市的缺点都不是它们独有的——全球所有城市都需要解决交通拥堵、犯罪、住房、能源、饮用水和人口过多问题.一些城市已经找到了解决其中一个或多个问题的方法.一些欧洲城市,例如瑞典斯德哥尔摩、英国伦敦,计划为人们提供公寓、工作、商业中心、绿地、娱乐、交通等多种公共设施.许多美国城市重建了城市商业区.城市规划者可以从中学习.他们可以在世界的其他地方试着成功解决这些问题.