No, Not a "We Should be Like Europe" Rant

We are not Europe. In Europe, the middle and upper class seek to live in the urban centers, while the poor/lower class tend to live outside the city. With the notable exceptions of say, New York and Chicago, the opposite is the case (blanket indictment I know, but let me make my point). The left is often get accused of secretly aspiring to model America to be like Europe. And the attached chart makes that point that as it pertains to other forms of transportation, Europeans have the capacity certainly to walk or bicycle to other locations, given how they live. But Krugman makes the point that in terms geography, and for the most part with respect to our our living patterns, we are not significantly different than Canada, but in terms of the effectiveness of our public transportion, they are way ahead of us.