Would it be fair to say that the primary reasons this might not be so easily done in the 21st century are economic? Lower labor costs probably had a significant impact on the ability of municipalities and private companies to build systems, roads and bridges.

The following systemic differences might have some bearing on this:

(comparing 38->78 to 2017->20x7)

1) Growth vs replacement. Growing on empty is generally easier than a whole systemic replacement (e.g. fill a void vs displace/replace)

2) Economic growth curve vs economic stalling/diminishing curve (the productive economy actually grew then, now it's 70-90% financial economy that grows. Productive physical economy is being down-sized, off-shored, labor-shorted and just plain let to rot)

3) Somewhat united political/economic trend vs splintered aims (e.g. modernism of tech/edu/economic development vs our current risk-based post-modern state of beings that pulls into various mutually non-complementary directions)

4) Strong political leadership vs failing political leadership (need I say more?)

5) Honest hard working citizens vs lazy-ass complaining professional consumers (sorry to put it bluntly, but we've become more of the latter)

6) Longer term economic planning vs. make profit this quarter and slightly worry about the next (harder to finance, build and steer projects with 20-40 year horizons and co-ordinate those together across industries)

In this situation, yes, I think it probably would be possible to change things in equal or less time (barring no limit from energy sources), but it would also probably require a big external impetus or several of them.

The old modernist "let's design and build a better world, because we can" ethos is dead and buried for the most part.

Now it's more of "every man for himself", which doesn't necessarily help in the matter (although Austrian school economists will of course vehemently disagree, just on principle)

But with cheap energy and materials available locally. That makes a big difference.

Would you have to develop industries to replace oil with coal gasification? No more than you would have to with total electrical transport. They're both going to cost a bundle and take decades.

But with cheap energy and materials available locally. That makes a big difference.

Would you have to develop industries to replace oil with coal gasification? No more than you would have to with total electrical transport. They're both going to cost a bundle and take decades.