Freeways

Traffic on the 405 interstate freeway through the Sepulveda Pass at Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles, California

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.

The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

May 30, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Aerial view of 238 freeway in Oakland, California cutting through neighborhood with small houses

The Limitations of ‘Reconnecting Communities’

The Biden administration has pledged to correct the damage imposed on communities by highways and infrastructure, but many projects are only committing to minor improvements, not transformative changes.

May 26, 2023 - The New York Times

Historic Deep Ellum street sign, Dallas, Texas

Dallas City Council to Vote on Controversial Freeway Trenching Plan

A proposal to bury part of Interstate 345 in a 65-foot trench is the latest in a debate that has lasted more than ten years as the freeway reaches the end of its useful life.

May 16, 2023 - D Magazine

Interstate 787 with Albany buildings in background

Freeway Removal Projects Gain Momentum

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.

April 13, 2023 - Congress For New Urbanism

Rendering of proposed South Loop Link Park over I 670 in Kansas City, MO

Kansas City Requests State Funding for Freeway Cap Park

The city has been working to raise $200 million to create a 5.5 acre park spanning a portion of Interstate 670.

April 13, 2023 - KCUR

Dusk view of blurred car lights passing on freeway with Houston skyline in background

How Houston’s Highways Impact Neighborhoods

A chapter in a new book highlights how highway construction forced changes and caused displacement in communities that included public housing developments.

March 13, 2023 - Next City

Close-up of Interstate 49 sign on road map

Louisiana Freeway Project Faces Civil Rights Investigation

An interstate project decades in the making is being investigated by federal authorities for claims that it would perpetuate historically racist land use patterns.

March 5, 2023 - The Current

Map of proposed freeway cap over Atlanta freeway

Atlanta Freeway Cap Among Reconnecting Communities Awards

The infusion of $1.1 million in federal funding helps move the project along, but the total cost remains far beyond the city’s current budget.

March 2, 2023 - Urbanize Atlanta

View of empty multi-lane freeway next to historic brick buildingin Richmond, Virginia

Virginia Receives Nearly $3 Million Reconnecting Communities Grant

Two Virginia cities were awarded federal funding aimed at improving connections between neighborhoods cut apart by freeway construction.

February 24, 2023 - WRIC

Dallas, Texas

Opinion: Hit the Brakes on Dallas Freeway Plan

A proposal to bury a Dallas freeway may not be the best way forward for the area’s residents.

February 22, 2023 - The Dallas Morning News

Aerial view of Houston freeway interchanges with downtown skyline in background

Halted Interstate Expansion Could Proceed in Houston

Local and state officials have come to an ‘historic’ agreement that could move the stalled project forward.

December 28, 2022 - Houston Chronicle

Concrete highway overpasses under construction, view from below

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.

December 16, 2022 - Route Fifty

View of Houston buildings over White Oak Bayou

Proposed Park Yet Another Hurdle for Houston Interstate Expansion

The Interstate 45 widening project, halted by a federal order and opposed by many local officials and organizations, could hit a new snag if White Oak Bayou becomes a city park.

November 25, 2022 - Axios

Claiborne Ave expressway passing over Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans

‘Reconnecting Communities’ Could Fund Highway Expansions

Applications to the program reveal a pattern of state agencies requesting funds for projects that perpetuate car-centric development with only nominal equity components.

November 6, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Nighttime view of downtown Columbus, Ohio over freeways with fast-moving traffic

Visualizing Columbus Before Freeways

A new project uses historical records to reconstruct what Columbus neighborhoods looked like before freeways displaced them.

October 19, 2022 - The Columbus Dispatch

Cars on highway in Colorado with snow-capped mountains in background

Colorado DOT Defends Highway Maintenance

While the department has canceled some road expansion projects, the agency has no plans to remove highways, calling them the “bread and butter” of the state’s transportation network.

October 18, 2022 - Colorado Public Radio

Aerial photo of the US 131/M-6/68th St. interchange in Wyoming, MIchigan

Op-Ed: Michigan Needs a New Transportation Strategy

One writer calls on the state to stop expanding roads and channel funding to projects that support Michigan’s sustainability goals.

October 17, 2022 - Bridge Michigan

Aerial view of downtown Baltimore, Maryland with freeways in foreground

Baltimore Seeks Federal Highway Removal Grant

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

October 9, 2022 - Next City

Overpasses over freeway in Los Angeles, California

Rethinking Highway Expansions

The tide may be turning—albeit slowly—against new road construction and expansion in favor of more climate-friendly alternatives.

September 26, 2022 - Governing

Highway Construction

‘Highway Boondoggles’ Report Highlights Nation’s Most Wasteful Projects

The bipartisan infrastructure law, which directs massive investments to state transportation projects, could fast-track some of the most destructive highway expansion projects.

September 15, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.