When freeways are dismantled, economic, and social benefits often follow. A mid-20th Century mechanistic view fails to understand such outcomes.

On the week that the Congress for the New Urbanism released its twice-yearly Freeways Without Futures list to draw attention to urban Interstates that should be dismantled, a Virginia historian threw cold water on the entire argument.
Swift acknowledges that urban Interstates contributed to a "North American style of daily living that is utterly dependent on the automobile," and that boring these highways through neighborhoods damaged cities and their inhabitants. “The collateral damage was extreme,” he says.
He nevertheless endorses a mid-Century mechanistic view of planning that is at odds with the view of urbanists, who think in terms of synergies. Here’s the mechanistic approach: A road is a road and a car is a car. If you have cars to move, you build a road. You expand the road when necessary.
FULL STORY: Defending urban freeways at all costs ignores the potential of cities

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion
The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”
Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden
Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

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Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.
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