Ten 'Freeways Without Futures'

The Congress for New Urbanism has once again released on if its signature efforts: the Freeways Without Futures report that assumes urban freeways were a mistake of 20th century planning and engineering and advocates for a new approach.

1 minute read

April 3, 2019, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


New Orleans Freeway

TBaker770 / Shutterstock

The Congress for New Urbanism released its 2019 Freeways Without Futures report this week, listing ten freeways around the country that could provide new examples of how cities "can save money while boosting their economies and improving the lives of citizens by not repeating the mistakes of the 20th Century."

According to the website promoting the report and providing detail on each of the ten freeways listed, the report addresses fundamental questions: "Do we continue to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars into an aging system that pollutes cities, divides neighborhoods, and occupies valuable land that could instead be used for homes and businesses? Or is there an alternative solution that creates stronger cities and communities?"

Claire Tran shared the news about the new Freeways Without Futures report for CityLab.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019 in Congress for the New Urbanism

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