Highways
Wider Highways Don’t Solve Congestion. So Why Are We Still Knocking Down Homes for Them?
Highway expansion projects certainly qualify as projects for public use. But do they deliver a public benefit that justifies taking private property?
The Biggest Wins — And Disappointments — From the ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Grants
"Until we overhaul our transportation system to redirect the majority of funding into community-oriented infrastructure investments, we will keep failing to meet our equity, climate, and maintenance goals."
Letter from Minneapolis: The Legacy of Highway Construction
Highways were convenient tools to rid the cities of perceived social ills, a mindset deeply embedded in white supremacy. Here's how it played out in two neighborhoods.
Can This Tiny Owl Defeat One of America’s Biggest Highway Projects?
This less-than-pint-sized bird plays a massive role in keeping the Sonoran desert in balance. Now, it could tackle its most fierce opponent yet: the American highway lobby.
Highway Boondoggles 2023: Habitat Devastation in the Hoosier State
Plans for a new 54-mile highway in southern Indiana threaten thousands of acres of forests, farmland and wildlife habitat. So why is Indiana forging ahead anyway?
Highway Boondoggles 2023: Is the BQE the Queen of All Boondoggles?
New York City is set to squander a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix a polluting and outdated highway.
Is Detroit ‘Reconnecting Communities,’ or Missing an Opportunity?
Detroit won a $100-million federal grant to study replacing a highway with a boulevard. Some say the plan doesn't go far enough.
The I-35 Expansion in Austin, Texas Shows Why States Should Never Control Their Own Environmental Review Process
A little-known loophole in federal law allows states like Texas to rubber-stamp their own environmental reviews — even when the projects they're reviewing are harmful highway boondoggles.
White Roads Through Black Bedrooms: How Urban Freeways Cemented Spatial Inequalities
Urban freeways are having a moment of serious reconsideration.
Who Gets Peace and Quiet?: Urban Noise in the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 stay-at-home advisories of 2020, the world quieted. As a community noise researcher, I felt the changes acutely.