Road to Nowhere by Paris Marx Summary
Overview of Road to Nowhere
In "Road to Nowhere," Paris Marx demolishes Silicon Valley's car-centric transportation fantasies. This "brutally realistic analysis" reveals how tech's mobility solutions perpetuate inequality rather than progress. What if the future we're being sold is actually a high-tech return to our unsustainable past?
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Key takeaways
The Promise Machine: When Billionaires Redesign Our Streets
Picture a pin from 1939 that reads "I have seen the future." Millions of Americans wore these after visiting General Motors' Futurama exhibit at the World's Fair, marveling at gleaming highways and radio-controlled cars promised for 1960. But here's what those visitors didn't grasp: they weren't witnessing a prediction. They were being sold a product. Within decades, expressways would slice through neighborhoods, pedestrians would lose their streets, and over 3.7 million Americans would die in car crashes. The corporations weren't forecasting the future-they were manufacturing it. Fast forward to today. Silicon Valley's elite are pitching their own transportation visions, and the pattern feels uncomfortably familiar. Elon Musk promises salvation through electric cars and underground tunnels. Travis Kalanick imagines fleets of automated taxis. Google's founders dream of autonomous pods gliding through cities. Like that 1939 World's Fair, these visions are polished, seductive, and fundamentally flawed. They're not solving our transportation crisis-they're repackaging it with a tech-friendly aesthetic while deepening the same inequities that car culture created a century ago.
How Streets Became Killing Fields and Highways Carved Up Communities
The Ideology Behind the Apps and the Electric Vehicle Mirage
The Gig Economy Comes for Your Commute
The Self-Driving Delusion and Induced Demand
Escape Routes for the Rich and the Battle for Public Space
Building Cities That Actually Work
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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