Urban planning decisions about highway placement in Detroit damaged Black communities. Nithin Vejendla shares an opinion about how to address this legacy and move toward justice.
In a recent Detroit Free Press opinion piece, Nithin Vejendla discusses the wave of awareness of racial disparity and systemic racism brought about by the murder of George Floyd. For example, in confronting long-lasting symbols of historical racism and colonial settlerism, the city of Detroit removed a statue of Christopher Columbus from public display. Vejendla says the city should take that action further: "if we’re going to get serious about removing symbols of this country’s endemic racism, we shouldn’t stop there. Detroit’s most persistent, visible, and disruptive symbols of racism are its freeways."
The deliberate destruction of Black communities through the construction of freeways that bisected and uprooted entire neighborhoods in cities like Detroit is a dark legacy recently being confronted by the planning community. In Detroit, the I-375 Chrysler Freeway, the M-10 Lodge Expressway, and the I-94 Edsel Ford Freeway bisected Black neighborhoods and business centers, destroying "some of the African-American community’s most important institutions," explains Vejendla. "To address this terrible legacy, I propose we tear out all the freeways in the greater downtown are of the city," Vejendla opines. Vejendla suggests an alternative path forward including investment in public transit and the payment of reparations to Black Americans with the land reclaimed from the removal of highways.
FULL STORY: Freeways are Detroit's most enduring monuments to racism. Let's excise them.
Detroit Floods as the Pacific Northwest Bakes: It's Time to Shift the Conversation About Climate Change
The record-breaking heatwave in the Pacific Northwest has mostly been depicted in the media by kids running through fountains, but images of flooded highways and stranded vehicles in Detroit tell a more accurate story of climate change.
Michigan Gov. Whitmer Proposes 45-Cent Gas Tax Hike in First Budget
Gretchen Whitmer has outdone the new Democratic governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, who proposed a 20 cents tax hike. Like Walz's budget, gas tax revenue would replace some general funds directed to road spending, thus benefiting other state programs.
Downtown Expressway's Days Are Numbered in Detroit
Detroit will soon join the ranks of cities that have ripped out high-speed freeways from their urban core.
New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.
Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City
In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.
Friday Eye Candy: 20 AI-Generated Cityscapes
AI-generated images are creating new landscapes and cityscapes, capable of inspiring awe or fear.
Proposed Pool Would Make an Olympic-Sized Play Area in the San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Bay is usually an undesirable place to swim, except for a hearty few. A development proposal seeking assistance at the state level would add a pool to the Bay’s waters to make the idea of going for a swim more appealing.
Chicagoland Transit Agencies Call for State Funding as Budget Shortfall Looms
Illinois transit agencies want to see changes to a law requiring them to collect half of their revenue from transit fares, arguing that low ridership and staffing shortages will lead to a massive budget gap without intervention.
Panel: Minneapolis Zoning Updates Should Reflect Mixed-Use Future
A discussion of post-pandemic changes in work and commuting concluded that the city’s overhaul of its zoning code should be less restrictive with land uses.
Princeton Planning
City of College Park
Houston-Galveston Area Council
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
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.
