The proposed freeway expansion in downtown Houston has faced searing backlash from local residents who see the project as a relic of the era of rampant freeway construction and neighborhood disruption.
An article and accompanying video from CBS News profiles some of the residents and institutions threatened with displacement by an interstate widening project in Houston, already home to the widest freeway in the world. "About 1,000 homes and apartments along with 344 businesses, two schools, and five churches are expected to be knocked down to complete the project."
One of these churches is Mount Olive Baptist Church, which was rebuilt by its pastor after it sustained severe damage during Hurricane Ike. Now, the $9-billion plan to widen interstates through downtown Houston threatens his church once again.
Community activists cite the loss of property to eminent domain and highway projects as a loss of generational wealth as homeowners lose the opportunity to pass on property to their children. Meanwhile, displaced residents, even if they receive buyouts, have a hard time finding new housing as neighborhoods become more expensive and they are priced out of the areas they previously lived in.
According to the article and previous Planetizen coverage, "The federal government has put most of the Houston project on hold while it investigates possible civil rights and environmental violations."
I-10 Widening Project Continues in Texas
The current work will expand the freeway to three lanes in each direction and shift a notorious bottleneck farther west.
Halted Interstate Expansion Could Proceed in Houston
Local and state officials have come to an ‘historic’ agreement that could move the stalled project forward.
Contentious Houston Freeway Widening Project Inches Forward
Federal officials have given TxDOT the go-ahead to resume work on a small portion of a controversial interstate widening project in downtown Houston.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association