Long before San Diego became defined by freeways, parking shortages and long commutes, electric streetcars connected the region's urban core to beaches, business districts and growing neighborhoods more than 100 years ago.

In this episode, KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen talks with The Finest about how the streetcar system helped shape neighborhoods that remain some of the city's most walkable and desirable today. The conversation traces the rise and fall of the rail network, how San Diego became shaped around cars and the lasting impact those decisions still have on the way people move through the city.

We also look at why conversations around public transit are shifting again and meet the people trying to bring the streetcar system back to life.

What would society look like if people no longer needed their cars? That's the premise of the new book “Life After Cars,” written by Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear. They're the co-hosts of The War on Cars podcast. The book invites readers to consider how weaning ourselves off the automobile can improve our mental and physical health, and even make us more perceptive of the world around us.