Successful urban highway deconstruction projects have swapped highways for boulevards and saw economic, public health, and urban design benefits. Will more cities opt for highway removal programs over reconstruction?

Decades-old urban highways in the U.S. are showing their age. In some cases, factors like deteriorating overpasses, unsafe expressway to city street transitions, and proximity to residential neighborhoods are guiding planners to implement fixes guided by modern safety standards and the prioritization of walkable and bikeable urban spaces.
Plans ranging from highway removal to underground relocation are underway across the country and have already seen wins in terms of economic revitalization, public health, and urban design. Steep construction costs and difficulty in securing funding, however, is making the process of reconstruction or removal challenging for many cities.
"While the federal government underwrote most of the cost of building the interstate system in the 1950s and 1960s, state and local governments now provide about 80 percent of public infrastructure funding. With perspectives on land use, transit, and equity also evolving, many cities are finding themselves at a crossroads when it comes to highways: remove or rebuild?," writes Kathleen McCormick.
The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), a long-time proponent of highway removal, published the 2019 Freeways Without Futures report, detailing case studies of removal projects in New Orleans, Tampa, Dallas, Austin, Portland, Louisville, Denver, Syracuse, Oakland, and Buffalo.
The Senate-led Environment and Public Works Committee approved the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019, a five-year program allocating up to an 80% federal subsidy for planning, technical assistance, and capital construction related to the removal of highways in U.S. cities. In response, CNU is preparing a tool kit and best practices guide to provide cities with such tools as "design standards, transportation network concepts, engineering specifications, and metrics to measure success," says CNU board member and Nelson\Nygaard principal and transit planner Larry Gould.
As planners begin to share their experience and understand the benefits of highway removal, it is becoming increasingly clear that the benefits of removal outweigh those of reconstruction.
FULL STORY: How Urban Highway Removal Is Changing Our Cities

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie