Public Transportation and Smart Growth

It was older, but still...nothing was more than 20 minutes away. I walked 5 blocks to my elementary school, 3 to my jr. high/high school. It was 3.5 blocks to the grocery store. There were city buses that ran on the main streets 3 blocks away, plus a commuter route that ran from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm on weekdays at the bottom of our block. Now that's all changed in the name of "progress". The elementary school was combined with another one miles away in the name of "integration" so that kids in K-2 are bused around to the south side, and kids from there are bused to the school near my old one for grades 3-5. The bus company completely changed the routes and I don't know if you can even get from here to there any more. As for the grocery and the neighborhood pharmacy, the last time I was there I don't recall seeing them.