Thanks to decades of activism and newly available federal funding, state and local governments are starting to understand the negative impacts of highway construction and working to reverse the effects on cities around the nation.
Writing in the Congress for New Urbanism Public Square blog, Lauren Mayer outlines freeway removal projects around the nation that are being aided by federal support, thanks to the federal government’s “acknowledgement of historic harms with financing through the federal Reconnecting Communities program.”
Mayer focuses on Interstate 787 in Albany; State Highway 55 in Minneapolis; and US Route 244 in Youngstown, Ohio. After decades of fierce highway building, New York is seeing a major turnaround in policy. “With successful removals in Rochester and New York City and more in progress in Syracuse and Buffalo, the state government in New York is working to heal the divisions created when these roads tore apart the communities by reconnecting the historically underinvested neighborhoods and improving economic vitality.” Each project is the result of years of ongoing work and coalition-building by local activists and officials.
Mayer concludes by highlighting the importance of collaboration across agencies and levels of government. “Building coalitions within government and the community can help these long-term and potentially expensive projects build and maintain momentum throughout the process.”
FULL STORY: What does government support for highway removal look like?
More Options Presented for Minneapolis I-94 Project
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GAO: Reconnecting Communities Lacks Clear Goals and Metrics
The program, aimed at supporting highway removals and other projects that work to reverse the impacts of freeway construction, is light on accountability and performance measures, according to a new report.
What Will Highway Removal Funding Actually Fund?
The federal Reconnecting Communities program is aimed at supporting highway removal and reversing the damage caused by rampant freeway construction, but some watered down proposals from state agencies could fund road expansion instead.
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.
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