As a point of comparison, I live in a city in Japan (Nagoya) that's about the size (roughly) of Chicago. Bikes are very common here. Many street lamps have solar and wind generators. Fuel efficient 'kei' cars are everywhere. (Mine gets 35km/l.) The regional trains and local subways are always on time, never very crowded, and cover a huge area. The bullet train to Kyoto/Osaka is 1.5 hours, and 2 hours 45 mins to Tokyo.