Freeways

Rendering of proposed freeway cap park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia lawmakers fight to save 'Chinatown Stitch' from Trump cuts

The freeway cap project, approved and funded under the Biden administration, is now in jeopardy after the federal government rescinded all but $8 million in funding.

August 5, 2026 - Inside Climate News

Elevated freeway segment with stoplight at underpass in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee mayor abandons highway removal plan

Mayor Johnson spoke in opposition to a proposed plan to turn part of I-794 into an at-grade boulevard, expressing concerns about traffic.

July 24, 2026 - Streetsblog USA

A few cars on the I-10 interstate freeway in Santa Monica, California.

Santa Monica gets $2M grant to study I-10 freeway cap

City officials want to explore capping or even removing a portion of the freeway in the Pico neighborhood.

July 8, 2026 - Santa Monica Daily News

Aerial view of vacant land at end of 710 freeway in Pasadena, California framed by roads on either side.

Pasadena approves plan for 710 Stub but tables Restorative Justice elements

A never-built freeway that displaced hundreds of residents in the 1970s has left a 50-acre scar that may finally see redevelopment.

April 17, 2026 - Streetsblog LA

Interstate 35 over Riverside Drive at dusk in Austin, Texas with downtown visible in background.

Austin Officials Pump the Brakes on I-35 ‘Cap & Stitch’ Project

The city approved a plan to build cap parks over parts of I-35 less than a year ago.

March 29, 2026 - KUT

Orange bus and yellow light rail train next to each other on street with downtown Los Angeles visible in background.

LA Metro Increases Highway Expansion Budget by 40%

Metro has plans to expand freeways including the 5, 105, and 405, among others.

March 23, 2026 - Streetsblog LA

Ornate Chinatown gate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with people walking in front of it.

Philadelphia’s ‘Chinatown Stitch’ Freeway Cap in Danger After Feds Retract Funding

A project 15 years in the making would reconnect Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood after decades of being split in half by a roadway.

March 11, 2026 - WHYY

Cover of "Road to Nowhere: How a Highway Map Wrecked Baltimore" book with highway map in background.

Tracing the Destruction of the Highway Baltimore Never Built

In “Road to Nowhere: How a Highway Map Wrecked Baltimore,” historian Emily Lieb demonstrates how the mere threat of a highway project, combined with systemic redlining and predatory real estate practices, can dismantle a community just as effectively as physical construction can.

February 2, 2026 - Jennifer Hiatt

Aerial of wide freeway overpasses over large mostly vacant asphalt parking lots.

New Tool Uncovers Exact Costs of Downtown Highways

A new research tool can help cities calculate the economic potential that could be unlocked by replacing highways with other uses.

December 16, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Aerial of large Walmart parking lot in Frisco, Texas.

Is Driving Traffic to Big Box Stores True Economic Development?

Strong Towns’ Charles Marohn argues that planning for ‘commerce’ perpetuates an unsustainable, car-centric development model.

September 21, 2025 - Strong Towns

"More to Discover in Indiana" sign over freeway at state line entering Indiana.

Indiana Proposes Tolls on Interstate Freeways

If the state’s request is approved by the FHWA, it would be the first to charge tolls on interstates within its borders.

August 1, 2025 - Transport Topics

1965 photo of Rose Quarter freeway interchange in Portland, Oregon.

Will the Reconnecting Communities Program Survive Trump?

A freeway cap in Portland, Oregon is in jeopardy. But the visionary “restorative redevelopment” next door goes on.

July 8, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Aerial view of Lake Shore Drive, eight-lane highway adjacent to lakeshore in Chicago, Illinois with city skyline in background at sunset.

Dead End: Nine Highways Ready for Retirement

The Freeways Without Futures report describes the nation’s most promising highway removal proposals.

June 2, 2025 - Congress For New Urbanism

Green and white interstate freeway signs pointing to Hayward and San Mateo and Half Moon Bay exits in Northern California.

San Mateo Formally Opposes Freeway Project

The city council will send a letter to Caltrans urging the agency to reconsider a plan to expand the 101 through the city of San Mateo.

April 9, 2025 - Streetsblog San Francisco

Aerial view of freeway in Orlando, Florida with construction work.

Disconnecting Communities: Measuring the Social Impacts of Freeways

Research from 50 major U.S. cities shows social connections are weakest in neighborhoods where highways are present.

March 16, 2025 - Next City

Elevated viaduct in Seattle, Washington being demolished.

Highway Removal Slowed by Outdated Policy, Lack of Committed Funding

Resistance from state transportation departments and precarious funding sources mean highway removal projects are few and far between, despite their benefits.

January 6, 2025 - Next City

Interstate 794 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Interstate Removal Would Create Space for Thousands of New Housing Units

A proposal to replace the elevated Interstate 794 with a boulevard could create over a billion dollars in new development along the corridor.

December 2, 2024 - Urban Milwaukee

Elevated freeway being demolished in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Bridging Divides: The Crucial Role of Collaboration in Highway Removal

Highway removal is most successful when agencies at all levels of government work closely with each other and the impacted community.

November 17, 2024 - Morgan Florsheim

View of downtown Houston with elevated freeways in foreground.

Interactive Map Highlights Freeway-Related Displacement in Houston

A new map illustrates the neighborhoods and buildings that were razed to make way for freeways and estimates the number of people displaced by roadways.

November 7, 2024 - Baker Institute for Public Policy

View of downtown Houston with elevated freeways in foreground at dusk.

Reimagining the Space Beneath Houston’s Freeways

Opportunities abound for Houston to capitalize on otherwise unused space beneath its wide network of freeways.

October 7, 2024 - Houston Chronicle

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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