How to Kill a Freeway: Episode 22

(or listen on YouTube)

What would U.S. cities be without their urban freeways? The answer: better cities. We discuss how burying, blasting, or otherwise dismantling these obsolete and, in many cases, crumbling pieces of infrastructure is a huge step towards righting past wrongs against typically-minority communities and towards a more people-friendly urban form. In the process, freeway removal projects unshackle local and state governments from costly repairs, and they open up swaths of developable and taxable land.

Mentioned: How to remove a freeway in your city (by the Duluth Waterfront Collective)

Timestamps

References & notes

  1. [1] Mass Transit: WMATA says "We're Ready" to open Silver Line on Nov. 15
  2. [2] Wikipedia: Freeway removal
  3. [3] NYT: Can Removing Highways Fix America's Cities?
  4. [4] Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: How Urban Highway Removal Is Changing Our Cities
  5. [5] Planetizen: 'Freeways Without Futures' Spotlights Freeway Removal Efforts
  6. [6] Reuters: Neighborhoods united: Highway removal gains steam in U.S. cities
  7. [7] Governing: Highway Removal a High Hurdle, Even With New Funding
  8. [8] Duluth Waterfront Collective: How to remove a freeway in your city.
  9. [9] Streetsblog USA: These 15 Urban Highways Have Got to Go
  10. [10] ITDP: Leapfrogging Past the Urban Highway
  11. [11] Wikipedia: Inner Loop (Rochester)
  12. [12] Wikipedia: Alaskan Way Viaduct
  13. [13] Wikipedia: Big Dig
  14. [14] Wikipedia: Highway revolt
  15. [15] Wikipedia: California State Route 480
  16. [16] CNU: Freeways Without Futures