A trio of freeway cap proposals around the country—in St. Paul, Atlanta, and Austin—embody the potential of infrastructure change to undo the mistakes of the past.

Adina Solomon writes a summary of a recent ULI webinar hosted by the Curtis Infrastructure Initiative in provided information on the status and ambitions of three freeway cap projects, located in Atlanta, Austin, and St. Paul.
According to the premise of the webinar, COVID-19 and the ongoing civil unrest in response to recent police violence have renewed concerns about the legacy of land use and development. A new take on infrastructure, embodied by the symbolism and reality of freeway cap parks, was described by the webinar panel as a solution to the "economic malaise" impacting the nation, as well as the racist and discriminatory outcomes of 20th century planning.
In St. Paul, the nonprofit group ReConnect Rondo is spearheading a project that would add a land bridge over Interstate 94 "to bring equity to the Rondo neighborhood, where 85 percent of the city’s Black population lived in the 1950s and 1960s."
"The Rondo Community Land Bridge would create about 500 new housing units," reports Solomon. "More than 700 Black-owned homes were destroyed to make way for I-94."
In Atlanta, Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) is working to create “the Stitch,” to fill a need for parks in Atlanta's downtown. "[T]he construction of Interstate 75/85 cut up downtown and eliminated a grid of mostly Black neighborhoods, along with what was once the largest Jewish community in the city," according to Solomon.
Finally, the plan in Austin "is to create 11 acres (4.5 ha) of surface area out of proposed I-35 caps in three locations, in addition to creating a boulevard along the entire length of the 2.5-mile (4 km) corridor."
FULL STORY: Three U.S. ‘Highway Cap’ Projects Reckoning with Urban Inequity

The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues
Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.

What Role Does Health Care Play in Community Development?
Cities are economically diverse and require accessible health care systems, but this can be challenging to implement. Urban developers are working alongside health professionals to create affordable care for city residents.

Density and Driving: A Second Look
A common argument against more compact housing is that increased population density will only reduce vehicle miles traveled at moderate levels of density, as opposed to very low-density and very high-density areas. But this might not be so.

Want to Drive a Big Pickup Truck in D.C.? It’s About to Get (Even More) Expensive
D.C. is considering a $500 vehicle license fee for private vehicles over 6,000 pounds.

Zoning Reform Gains Momentum in Northern Virginia
Arlington County and Alexandria are moving forward with actions that could potentially launch a new era of planning and development in their respective communities.

Zoning Reform Works, but Is No Magic Bullet
Improving housing affordability and boosting housing production requires more than just eliminating single-family zoning.
Piedmont Environmental Council
City of Oakland, California
Marin Transit
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 San Carlos
City of Redwood City
City of Hot Springs
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.