Freeways

Washington

A History of Female-Led Opposition to Urban Freeways in Spokane, Washington

Former Washington State Representative Margaret Hurley, aided by Margaret Leonard at the local level, saved the Logan neighborhood in Spokane from a freeway plan that would have razed 600 homes. Now the plan is reborn in another part of town.

January 4, 2018 - The Spokesman-Review

More on those Freeway-Adjacent Affordable Housing Developments

The Los Angeles Times follows-up an earlier article on the dangers of building too close to freeways. It's a trade-off that the California Air Resources Board acknowledged last April with new guidelines that recognize the dire need for housing.

January 4, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Interstate Highway

With a 710 Freeway Extension Unlikely, Cities Propose Alternatives

After withdrawing support for a controversial extension of the 710 Freeway, Los Angeles Metro is asking cities for local road improvements to improve traffic flow in its stead.

November 30, 2017 - Pasadena Star-News

Willamette River

Widening Portland's Freeways

The state of Oregon is looking to use a gas tax increase to, among other things, fund a billion-dollars worth of highway-widening projects.

April 27, 2017 - City Observatory

280 Freeway San Francisco

10 Freeways That Have Got to Go

The Congress for New Urbanism has released the latest Freeways Without Futures list, updating a list we last saw in 2014.

February 2, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

Overpass

Photo Series: St. Louis Highway Blues

Photographer Michael DeFilippo captures the striking, ironic, and often depressing ways in which highways cut apart the urban fabric of St. Louis.

August 31, 2016 - Huffington Post

Historical I-5 Freeway

The Backbone of Orange County

In the 1950s, southern Orange County, California was a place of open hills, citrus groves, and scattered towns. The I-5 Freeway changed that, paving the way for today's subdivisions.

May 10, 2016 - KCET

Road Construction

Against Opposition, Arkansas Highways Expand

Although many local activists and officials oppose the trend, Arkansas state planners are considering major highway expansions in the Little Rock area. The state's highway department has demonstrated a pro-car, pro-suburb agenda.

April 28, 2016 - The Atlantic

Los Angeles Harbor Freeway

Slow Express Lanes Causes L.A. County Metro to Tinker With Toll Pricing

As more solo-commuters have moved into the express pay lanes designed to quickly move traffic on Los Angeles's congested freeway system, speeds have dropped and L.A. Metro officials are looking to pricing disincentives to speed things up again.

February 16, 2016 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Miami Highway

On the Surprising Efficiency of Big City Commutes

Logically we might assume that as cities grow larger, commutes get harder. It can certainly feel that way. But research points to structural factors that actually make commuting in big cities more efficient.

January 21, 2016 - CityLab

Eastside Gold Line and Los Angeles skyline

What Will the 'Third Los Angeles' Look Like?

Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne describes an L.A. in flux, at once beholden to its postwar image and pushing in a new direction. The city, he says, faces existential questions on a scale unmatched elsewhere in the nation.

January 21, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

Dallas

Dallas' CityMAP Project Looks to Reimagine Downtown Connectivity

Local officials, planners, and other civic leaders have joined together to look at how the city can bring neighborhoods split by freeways back together again.

October 13, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Bay Bridge Toll Traffic

When a Freeway Goes Bad

At some point, in places all over the country, freeways stopped working as they were intended. What can be done to improve one of the great frustrations of life with a car?

August 23, 2015 - Pacific Standard

Los Angeles Freeway

Next Steps for the City of Freeways

It is difficult to imagine a time when Los Angeles' freeways symbolized access, efficiency, and modernity. Now that the city's love affair with freeways is nearly spent, what future do we envision for them?

August 19, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Traffic - The Newhall Pass

California Governor Brown's Conflicting Road Budget Priorities

When his father was governor, California was awash in federal highway dollars. Now Jerry Brown's administration contemplates a risky tax hike, juggling the need for road improvements with a clean, transit-oriented agenda.

July 7, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

Katy Freeway

Too Big for Texas? Houston's 23-Lane Freeway

After a $2.3 billion widening project, traffic once again chokes the Katy Freeway's 23 lanes. For road spending critics who are also taxpayers, this I-told-you-so moment is bittersweet.

June 5, 2015 - Streetsblog Network

The Health and Social Justice Implications of 'Line-Source' Air Pollution

The most dangerous air pollution is not smog and is barely known by the public, writes Bill Adams, editor of UrbDeZine. Line-source particulate matter air pollution could change the way the public thinks about road projects and gas powered cars.

May 31, 2015 - UrbDeZine.com

Dallas Bans Protests Near Freeways

Supporters call a new Dallas ordinance banning protests near freeways a “pro-safety” measure rather than an “anti-protest” measure.

January 23, 2014 - Dallas News

Outreach Delays New Diverging Diamond Intersection in Colorado

The diverging diamond interchange system planned for an exit off Interstate 70 in Grand Junction, west of Denver in Colorado, has been delayed so officials can educate the public about the new traffic pattern.

January 10, 2014 - Denver Post

Image of Chicago Lake Shore Drive Freeway

The Overlooked Beauty of the American Freeway

The constant criticism of America's freeways makes it difficult to appreciate this infrastructure as important economic and cultural artifacts and a wonderful way to see the country.

September 9, 2013 - New Geography

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.

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.