The American Conservative: "Why Cities Are Demolishing Freeways"

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"Late last month, the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) released its latest edition of 'Freeways Without Futures', a report on efforts to remove parts of underused highways in ten American cities. The study underscores the role locals are playing in the replacement movement and also outlines the many benefits of having fewer highways running through dense urban areas.

"The report contends that the cores of American cities have seen a massive hollowing out since the passing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act in 1956. “As highways were built through existing communities,” the report begins, 'residents were cut off from social and economic centers, key resources and services, and the nearby destinations of their daily lives.'

Today, many of those highways are reaching the end of their design life and cities are facing what CNU calls a 'watershed moment'. Instead of rebuilding and repairing old highways, the report suggests cities should replace them with infrastructure that is pedestrian friendly, density prone, and extremely profitable. 'Cities are waking up to a simple solution: remove instead of replace'."