The Urban Freeway Conundrum

Planners regret them, neighbors dislike them, and they gobble up valuable real estate in the center city. The downtown expressway is a much-disliked reality in most American cities. Now's the time to do something about them.

2 minute read

May 9, 2007, 2:27 PM PDT

By Robert Goodspeed @rgoodspeed


Planners regret them, neighbors dislike them, and they gobble up valuable real estate in the center city. The downtown expressway is a much-disliked reality in most American cities. Now's the time to do something about them.

The distain of center city highways is so strong that some cities have gone so far as to construct fantastically expensive lids or tunnels to replace them with parks. The Trust for Public Land's Center for City Park Excellence found 20 existing highway parks and plans for 12 more in the works for a recent study. In an article in April's Urban Land summarizing their findings, the group reports on successful freeway parks in cities as varied as Trenton, New Jersey, Phoenix, Arizona, and Duluth, Minnesota, and plans underway in Dallas and San Diego. Of course, the most well known example of this is Boston's Big Dig, where construction of the "Rose Kennedy Greenway" on the former site of the Central Artery has finally begun. I was pleasantly surprised to discover my hometown of Portland, Maine is even beginning to reconsider a high-capacity arterial that has long divided neighborhoods and hogged precious urban land.

For the time being, however, the most logical solution to the downtown freeway problem seems completely off the table: outright removal. Why not? Their negative impacts on downtown neighborhoods and encouraging urban sprawl are well documented. Many cities are investing heavily in public transportation systems, and gas prices are heading up. Finally, the impact of removing them may not be as bad as we fear. Like many, I was surprised to read the recent San Francisco highway collapse caused not gridlock, but a decrease in traffic as commuters hit the rails in record numbers.

Converting downtown expressways into at-grade boulevards or parks could free up valuable real estate for development and boost real estate values. The idea is not without precedent -- and other advocates -- in the U.S. Freeways have been removed successfully in Portland, OR, San Francisco, and Milwaukee, and certainly many more discussed.

However, for the time being the option seems unmentionable. During the APA conference in Philadelphia, I listened as planners explained how they had struggled to connect the campus to the Schuykill River during the Penn Connects planning process due to the presence of the the Schuylkill Expressway. Ruling out decking as too expensive, they discretely mentioned they would of course support its removal should that option arise.

Maybe it's time to bring it up.


Robert Goodspeed

Robert Goodspeed is an Assistant Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. He holds a PhD from the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning and previously worked for the Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council. See his academic website for more on his teaching and research.

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

"Altadena - Not For Sale" yard sign in front of burned down house after Eaton Fire in Altadena, California in January 2025.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations

Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

July 7 - Dwell

Dense multistory residential buildings in hilly San Francisco, California.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean

Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

July 7 - The San Francisco Standard

Blue self-driving Ford Transit van shuttle in Jacksonville, Florida.

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US

A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.

July 7 - Smart Cities Dive

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.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA

Write for Planetizen