The downtown freeway expansion will displace thousands of housed and unhoused residents and hundreds of small businesses.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is planning an expansion of Interstate 45 in downtown Houston, causing concern among residents and people experiencing homelessness who live in the path of the proposed road expansion, writes Schaefer Edwards in the Houston Press.
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project calls for the demolition and displacement of close to 1,000 apartment units, 160 single-family homes, and hundreds of small businesses in the Fifth Ward, in addition to the patch of land where many unhoused people take shelter. The $7 billion road project would add traffic lanes, remove the Pierce Elevated section of the interstate, and bury a portion of the highway in East Downtown.
Local activists that oppose the project contend that the benefits of the expansion don't outweigh the damages it will cause to the surrounding neighborhood and businesses. Groups like Stop TxDOT I-45 and LINK Houston have expressed their resistance for the project for years, claiming that community input has done little to sway decisions about the project's proposed route and mitigations. “Typically with TxDOT and typically when it comes to highways, there’s very little landowners can do to stop the project,” Houston attorney Justin Hodge told the Houston Press. While some housed residents may receive relocation assistance, those that are homeless will suffer the most from the freeway expansion.
Despite protests from community groups, business owners, and local politicians, the project seems headed to completion. “Specifically related to the route selection, I don’t think you’ll see any significant changes at this point,” said Hodge.
FULL STORY: The Human Cost Of TxDOT’s I-45 Expansion Plan

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.

A Dallas Architect Designs Statement Buildings With a Purpose
The Dallas Morning News’ architecture critic profiles one of the city’s most important current architects.

Biden Designates a New National Monument in West Texas
The Castner Range National Monument in West Texas is the second of two new national monuments announced by President Joe Biden this week.

Study: Autonomous Cars Won’t Solve the Parking Problem
In hyper-dense cities where incentives to reduce car use and eliminate parking are already high, mass adoption of AVs won’t significantly reduce parking demand.
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.