Advocates of highway removal hope the Reconnecting Communities Act will help fund efforts to tear down a freeway that devastated West Baltimore neighborhoods.

Ashley Stimpson’s latest article in Next City begins with an all-too-familiar anecdote: a Black neighborhood, once woven into the surrounding city and its shops, parks, and services, is cut off by a freeway construction project, many of its residents displaced.
In this case, Baltimore’s Interstate 170 did just that to the Rosemont neighborhood in the 1970s. “More than 1,500 residents were displaced; 971 homes, 62 businesses, and one school got the wrecking ball. The area would never recover.” Today, “The sunken highway slashes through the landscape like a deep wound, separating neighborhoods and creating air and noise pollution for nearby residents.”
Now, the city says it will request grant funding through the federal Reconnecting Communities program to tear down the highway, now known as U.S. Route 40. The article describes other notable freeway removal projects, such as Rochester’s East Inner Loop and the removal of a four-lane freeway in Chattanooga.
These projects aren’t without their critics: “Some Rochester residents complained that the East Inner Loop project lacks sufficient green and retail space. Affordable housing is also a concern; new condos along the boulevard are selling for $500,000, while rent for one-bedroom apartments starts at $1,500.” Advocates insist that revitalization without displacement is possible only with the significant participation of the local community. A group called the Connecting Communities in West Baltimore Coalition is lobbying to be the voice of residents in the neighborhood as the city develops its plan for removing and replacing the road.
FULL STORY: Will The Inflation Reduction Act Finally Tear Down Baltimore’s Highway To Nowhere?

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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