What might an effective rail system might look like? Driverless, ultra-short lines? Portland has a trolly like that doesn't it? Lines to teleconferening centers rather than downtown? Shopping malls turning into conference centers as Walmart and Costco take over retailing? High-speed inter-city lines?

I suspect ultra-high-speed internet may soon make commuting a relic of the past. The cost savings will be so enormous middle managers will have to accept it.

The only alternative it seems would be some breakthrough that makes large-scale construction radically less expensive. Unfortunately with the government paying there seems to be little incentive to innovate.