What I Mean By "The Car"

A clarification, and an apparent contradiction that's really a complement

Sometimes I get comments on pieces here—like this one, or this one—that I think misunderstand what I mean when I talk about “the car.” And while I think I’ve explained this here and there, I know what I mean, and don’t always spell it out.

For example, I received an email from a notable New Urbanist in response to a piece talking about the dominance of t…