The tendency of transportation planning of the 20th and 21st centuries to negatively impact poor and minority populations received deep attention on national media outlets over the past few days.

Corinne Ramey writes a long and thorough account of the inequity built into the U.S. transportation system. Ramey notes early in the article that race and transportation "have long been intertwined, whether it be federally funded highways that plowed through, or isolated, minority neighborhoods; Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott; or segregated streetcars and trolleys." Despite the progress made in recent decades, according to the article, discrimination is still built into the transportation system of the United States.
The article begins by citing the example of Buffalo, New York, where the Peace Bridge connecting the United States with Fort Erie in Canada. "In the shadow of the bridge sits a small neighborhood called the West Side, where the asthma rate is more than four times the national average, and residents report a host of other health issues." Rather than heading local concerns about the health impacts of the bridge, "[a] proposed expansion of the bridge’s on- and off-ramps will further encroach into the neighborhood’s streets."
But Buffalo only provides the first example of the inequity that is built into every corner of the country. Here, Ramey reveals the larger focus of the investigation: "Based on recent complaints provided by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Authority through Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as older complaints and several lawsuits, I closely examined about 40 cases of racial discrimination in transportation planning, many from the past 15 years."
The remainder of the piece delves into many examples from all over the country, with references to the prevailing scholarship on the subject.
Of note regarding the article: At some point, Slate changed the headline from a more inflammatory title "America's Transportation System Is Racist" to the current "America's Unfair Rules of the Road."
Kevin D. Williamson follows Ramey's reporting with a response in National Review. Although Williamson recommends the Slate article but pivots to describe the transportation system as "royalist" rather than racist.
FULL STORY: America’s Unfair Rules of the Road

Downtown Los Angeles Park Wins National Award
Vista Hermosa Natural Park, designed by the landscape architecture firm Studio-MLA, has won the ASLA 2023 Landmark Award. Completed in 2008, Vista Hermosa was the first public park built in downtown L.A. in over 100 years.

Norman, Oklahoma Eliminates Parking Mandates
The city made a subtle, one-word change that frees up developers to build parking based on actual need and eliminates costly unnecessary parking.

Boston Transit Riders Report Safety Concerns
Almost three-quarters of current and former riders report feeling unsafe while using MBTA services.

When it Comes to Transportation, It’s All About Options
Debunking the notion of the personal automobile as liberator.

Prioritizing Equity in Federal Transit Funding
TransitCenter recommends several transit capital projects deserving of federal transportation dollars.

California Housing Bills Streamline Affordable Housing
A series of current and proposed bills are paving the way for more affordable housing production in the state, where environmental laws are often deployed to delay or block new development.
City of Grand Junction Police Department
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Code Studio
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Washington University
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Montrose County
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.