Justice and the Interstates : The Racist Truth about Urban Highways

“Seventy years of a car-only approach—not car-centric, it’s car-only—is actually not just non-driver hostile, it’s driver hostile.

Noone benefits.” —Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for AmericaThe car-only approach in transportation planning and engineering has led to the construction of roadways that have tornapart and devalued communities, especially Black and Brown communities.

Forging a new path to repair this damagerequires a community solutions-based approach to planning, designing, and building our roadways.

When LynnPeterson began working as a transportation engineer, she was taught to evaluate roadway projects based only on metricsrelated to driver safety, allowable speed for the highest number of cars, project schedule, and budget.

Involving thecommunity and collaborating with peers were never part of the discussion.

Today, Peterson is a recognized leader intransportation planning and engineering, known for her approach that is rooted in racial equity, guided by a process ofcommunity engagement, and includes collaboration with other professionals. In Roadways for People, Lynn Peterson draws from her personal experience and interviews with leaders in the field toshowcase new possibilities within transportation engineering and planning.

She incorporated a community-solutionsbased approach in her work at Metro, TriMet, and while running the Washington State Department of Transportation,where she played an instrumental role in the largest transportation bill in that state’s history.

The communitysolutions-based approach moves away from the narrow standards of traditional transportation design and focusesinstead on a process that involves consistent feedback, learning loops, and meaningful and regular communityengagement.

This approach seeks to address the transportation needs of the most historically marginalized members ofthe community. Roadways for People is written to empower professionals and policymakers to create transportation solutions that servepeople rather than cars.

Examples across the U.S.—from Portland, Oregon to Baltimore, Maryland—show what ispossible with a community-centered approach.

As traditional highway expansions are put on pause around the country,professionals and policymakers have an opportunity to move forward with a better approach.

Peterson shows them how.