Reconnecting Communities
The People Behind America’s Game-Changing Local Infrastructure Grants
The Biden Administration unlocked unprecedented opportunities for local leaders to build transportation infrastructure without their state governments getting involved — if they could beat out the competition. We talk to three mayors who cracked the code.
Reconnecting Communities: Are We There Yet?
Advocates warn: to reconnect communities, you have to listen to them.
How Cities Are Getting Creative To Reclaim Public Space for People
Putting in parks and plazas isn't the only way to reimagine "public spaces" around the needs of people, a new report argues — and if we do it right, these projects can be a powerful tool for equity and health.
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."
Mixed Reviews for ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Grants
The Biden Administration funded some very worthy projects, but there were also a few head-scratchers in there.
Is the Environmental Racism of the Past Repeating Itself in Buffalo’s Expressway Project?
The construction of the Kensington Expressway devastated a predominantly Black neighborhood in the 1960s. And some advocates fear a new proposal to cap it won't be much better.
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.
How a New Program is Helping Small Cities Transform Their Transportation Systems
"We don’t want the infrastructure law to compound our geographic inequalities. We wanted it to be an equalizing moment," said James Anderson of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Study: Two-Thirds of Americans Know Highway Expansions Don’t Cure Traffic
"The public is way ahead of the elected officials, and it's way ahead of the transportation officials in [talking about] the kind of future they want to see."
Why Small Cities Torn Apart By Highways Need Extra Help to Heal
A new program will help smaller communities start the process of redesigning highways and other transportation investments that tore apart their communities — and shine a light on why it’s so hard for them to do it without outside help
