Disagreement about the removal of Interstate 345 in Dallas continues. Even the son of Senator Royce West wants a say in the future of the highway.
The debate over the future of Interstate 345 is stirring strong opinions in Dallas. Should the thoroughfare be replaced with boulevards or be left to bisect the city? An opinion piece recently published in The Dallas Morning News argues that the removal of I-345 equates to the destruction of a necessary artery for low-income people living in Dallas:
The highway links I-45 to the south with Central Expressway to the north. Some 180,000 cars travel it per day. More than 75,000 of those begin their trips south of I-30, heading north. Many of the people in those cars are middle- and lower-income residents from southern Dallas getting to their jobs in the north. They rely on the road as a way of life.
Decision making about the highway, however, is now tied up in a strange political situation. Roddrick West, the son of state Senator Royce West, proposes to lease land beneath over a mile stretch of I-345 to build soccer fields. The Dallas Morning News says the Dallas City Council "was right to hit pause on this proposed lease Wednesday until everything that happened around it is aired in the full light of day."
FULL STORY: Southern Dallas residents need I-345. Why is a wealthy consortium trying to tear it down?
Recapping Media Reaction to Tear Down Proposal for I-345 in Dallas
Dallas Morning News Architecture Critic Mark Lamster calls out the media for its coverage of a proposal to tear down the I-345 in Dallas.
TxDOT Recommends a 10-Lane ‘Infrastructure Grave’ in Dallas
Rather than removing the freeway altogether, which the Texas Department of Transportation calls ‘unfeasible,’ the agency recommends burying the road in a billion-dollar, ten-lane trench through the city’s downtown.
Columnist to Dallas: Tear Down That Freeway
Freeways have been removed before, but if the Texas Department of Transportation decides to tear down the I-345 freeway in Dallas, it would reflect a massive sea change in urban transportation planning.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service