>>1404190There is evidence in the urban form of cities before the automobile. When a new rail or streetcar line was built, development would follow that line as a linear ray emerging from the city center, with land outside walking distance of the line remaining undeveloped.
In the era of mass motorization and freeways the effect is not nearly that pronounced, but it's still easier to densify areas near transit because you don't need to account for everyone living there driving to work every day.
There's also kind of a trough in the middle of urban development, where every piece of land is equally accessible due to cars. Once the metropolitan population hits a certain point, though, traffic becomes a major constraint and additional development prioritizes transit access again.
