Freeways

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research