Bullet holes pockmarked the walls of flats, scorched buildings lurked amidst the cityscape and sunlight glinted on the headstones of overflowing cemeteries.
From 1958 onward, and as the city became more industrialized in the 1960s, the polluted stream and its Bridges were gradually buried under at-grade asphalt and a four-lane elevated freeway.
Indeed, in their low-slung vehicles with minimal suspension, drivers learned that staying alert was advisable when making the turns around Houston's urban park, Discovery Green.
Newman believes one of the best studies on how cities built for cars might be converted to rail use is The Urban Village report, which used Melbourne as an example.