No, the car centric development model is new.

Jason Slaughter at Not Just Bikes says, "he's not an urban planner, but he plays one on TV." I would love have done something that I consider useful as a career, which urban planning or working for Greenpeace Europe would have been, but that's another story. Like Jason, I have travelled around and know that the North American car culture is not sustainable. While conservatives want to pretend that "The Green New Deal" and the change in culture to at least renewable energy is a somehow wrong: it's obvious that it is a necessity.

And the failure to pay attention to that will have worse ramifications than the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973, which should have been a wake up call, but wasn't.

Jason points out that North American at one time had super mass transit, but went to car culture post war. I've been wanting to post this except from Lawrence Weaver's Introduction to the book "Small Country Homes of Today" in 1922: 

Neighbourhood to Road. — Nothing at once costs so much and gives so little to show for it as road-making. If the chosen site of the house itself is not close to a good road, and a long drive is needed in consequence, a sum for road-making must be set aside which will probably distress the client not a little. In this connection the liability to motor dust must be considered, a factor governed largely by the prevailing wind.

Accessibility. — Neighbourhood to a railway station is not only a question of the personal convenience of those who live in the house, but affects the cost of building. Thoughtful folk will also consider how near the site will be to post and telegraph office, church and shops.

Public Services — Drainage, Water and Light. — Connection with municipal sewerage is a factor in cost. If there is no system near enough, when the house is built, it should be ascertained whether any extensions are likely in the future, as the design of house drainage somewhat discharges according to whether it discharges into a public sewer or into a private cesspool or septic tank. If it is contemplated that the house drainage shall discharge at a point beyond the site, by arrangement with an adjoining owner, care must be taken to ensure that such right is secured in perpetuity. A pure and plentiful water supply is infinitely important, both for drinking purposes and for garden use, and if no public mains are available, the possibility of getting a permanent supply from a private artesian well needs to be carefully explored. For lighting, in default of public gas or electricity, the respective merits of a private installation of electric light, acetylene or petrol gas need consideration.

This is from over 100 years ago. I wish that it had been written by Edwin Luteyns, but it wasn't. Still, it interesting that the advice was to be central, rather than spread. A copy of this book can be found at: https://archive.org/details/smallcountryhous01weav/page/n13/mode/2up

It's also interesting that the advice was to build near services, which is no longer the way things are done in North America.

Recycling and "renewables" aren't "new" either, but those are separate topics.

The problem is that some people need to hear the alarm clock ringing and stop dreaming of a past that didn't exist.