DeepSummary
In this podcast episode, Brock Benefel interviews Megan Kimball, an investigative journalist and author of the book 'City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways'. The conversation focuses on the history and impact of the American interstate highway system, its initial goals, and how it has evolved over time.
They discuss the unintended consequences of the highway system, such as its contribution to urban sprawl, racial inequalities, and environmental issues. Kimball shares insights from her research into the history of the highway system, including the intentions of the Eisenhower administration and the role of state transportation departments.
The discussion also covers the growing movement of 'freeway fighters' who are opposing highway expansion and advocating for alternative transportation solutions. Kimball provides examples of cities and states taking steps to address the legacy of harm caused by highways and the challenges of achieving meaningful change in transportation policy.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The original intent of the Interstate Highway System was to connect cities and facilitate national defense, but it evolved into a means of addressing urban congestion, which it ultimately failed to achieve.
- Highway construction has had a devastating impact on minority and low-income communities, displacing millions of residents and causing generational harm that has not been adequately addressed.
- The concept of induced demand explains why expanding highways often fails to alleviate traffic congestion, as it encourages more driving and increased demand.
- There is a growing grassroots movement of 'freeway fighters' opposing highway expansion and advocating for alternative transportation solutions, such as transit and highway removal.
- State transportation departments wield significant power in transportation decisions, often overriding the concerns and priorities of local communities and cities.
- While efforts have been made to address the legacy of harm caused by highways, many of these initiatives are criticized as inadequate and failing to address the underlying issues.
- Climate activists and environmentalists are increasingly joining the fight against highway expansion due to the significant emissions and environmental impact of the transportation sector.
- The book 'City Limits' by Megan Kimball provides a comprehensive look at the history, impact, and future of America's highway system, offering insights into the complex political, social, and environmental implications of transportation policy.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “These highways demolished, you know, a million homes across the country, like, those homes are not going to just, like, spring forth from the earth. You have to think about, like, how do you not just build back what was taken, but also, like, provide reparations to those people it was taken from?“ by Megan Kimball
- “The intention of the Interstate highway program, as Eisenhower sold it to Congress, was to connect the country. It was the nuclear era, and so, you know, creating better evacuation routes out of cities, also being able to mobilize arms and munitions across the country, to move from, you know, Boston to LA.“ by Megan Kimball
- “Like, I don't see, I think a lot of the efforts to repair that harm tend to be kind of band aids over a wound. They are not actually trying to fix the underlying injury.“ by Megan Kimball
Entities
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Episode Information
The Climate Pod
The Climate Pod
6/26/24
For 70 years, building out and expanding American highways have been core parts to the entire US transportation project. But the initial effort to connect cities and states has created gigantic problems in the subsequent decades. Instead of fixing many of these critical issues, too often we see cities and states double down on the problem and make our transportation system worse. And carbon emissions from the transportation sector are a huge part of the climate fight. So what do we do about highways as these roads continue to expand and draw investment?
Our guest, Megan Kimble, has been looking for the answers. In her new book, City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and The Future of America's Highways, she both looks back at the origins of the American highway system and examines today's fight to determine what is happening and how decisions are being made that design our transportation system. We discuss the "freeway fighters" that are working to remove highways and prevent highways from being expanded, how federal investments favor highways over transit, how highways have been used to exacerbate racial inequities, and why climate activists are helping to make change.
Megan Kimble is an investigative journalist and former executive editor at The Texas Observer. She has written about housing, transportation, and urban development for The New York Times, Texas Monthly, The Guardian, and Bloomberg CityLab.
Check out City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and The Future of America's Highways
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