Freeway Removal

‘Freeways Without Futures’ Spotlights Freeway Removal Efforts
Around the country, cities and states are starting to listen to decades-old demands to remove freeways that have displaced and fractured communities.

Freeway Removal Movement Slowly Gains Steam
Although the concept has recently received more national attention thanks in part to the federal Reconnecting Communities Act, cities have shown reluctance to support highway removal projects.

A How-To for ‘Freeway Fighters’
Ten recommendations for effective freeway removal advocacy.

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.

Urban Highway Removal: 4 Considerations for Reknitting a City’s Fabric
Making the right decisions to create a positive urban legacy.

Detroit Plans Freeway Removal To Spur Economic Development
City and state officials hope the proposal to turn part of I-375 into a walkable boulevard will help bring back businesses and economic vitality to the area.

Residents Call for Highway Removal in Seattle Neighborhood
As more planners begin to question the value of urban freeways, communities that have long borne the negative impacts of highway construction are fighting back with data.

Santa Monica Offers Affordable Housing to Residents Displaced by Freeway Construction
A new program seeks to make restitution for the damage inflicted on Black communities by highway construction and urban renewal.

Seattle Neighborhood Calls for Highway Removal
South Park becomes the latest community to call for the removal of a highway segment that has cut off the neighborhood from local amenities for decades.

California Bill Could Ban Freeway Expansions in Underserved Neighborhoods
A proposed bill in the California State Legislature would bar the state from funding road construction in communities at risk for displacement and health impacts.

How Federal Funds Can Benefit Freeway Removal Projects
The recently passed infrastructure bill dedicates $1 billion to freeway removal and capping, but the sum is only a 'first step' toward redressing the injustices perpetuated by urban highway projects.

How Albany Can Reclaim Its Waterfront From a Bad Highway
Finding full-scale highway removal nearly impossible, advocates in the New York state capital turn to creative workarounds to reconnect the city to the Hudson River.

Outdated State and Federal Road Design Rules Hinder Freeway Removal
Although some cities are in favor of removing or reducing urban freeways in favor of more walkable spaces, guidelines like the 11-year-old MUTCD still encourage a 'throughput at all costs' mentality.

Seattle Freeway Lid Expected by 2030
When complete, the SR 520 Montlake Project will reorganize the street grid to provide new connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.

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.

Why Infrastructure Spending Should Center Equity
To begin to reverse decades of discrimination and disinvestment, future infrastructure spending must put equity at the forefront.

Why a 'Marginally Useful' Minneapolis Freeway Segment Should Be Removed
Two ramps that have minimal impact on traffic could make way for apartments, commercial spaces, or much-needed parks.

Does Highway Removal Make Cities Healthier?
Highway removal can improve the air quality and health of the immediate environment, but displacement and gentrification threaten to exclude former residents from the benefits.

To Make Cities More Livable, Get Rid of Pavement
Paved surfaces take up close to a third of space in U.S. cities, polluting waterways and contributing to the urban heat island effect.

The Freeway Removal Cause Gains Momentum—But Don't Forget Gentrification and Displacement
The case for freeway in urban areas isn't as unequivocal as it might seem. Plans to undo the damage of the legacies of past freeway planning need to ensure an inclusive future.
Pagination
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
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