The Secret Ways Highways Are Killing Us

Highways are everywhere in America and are a big part of our everyday lives -- but is their presence shortening our lives? Myles Bess explores the health impacts of freeways and looks at removing them as a potential solution.

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What is the history of the highway system in the U.S.?

Short answer: former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  He had seen examples in his early career of highways in America, but it wasn’t until WWII when he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe that his dream of an interstate highway system really started to take shape. While stationed in Germany he saw how the allies used Germany's ~Reichsautobahn~ (their high-speed roadway system) to move goods, supplies, and people super efficiently, helping them nearly win the war. His thinking was that Americans need highways to get around, be evacuated in case of an emergency like war, or move supplies in case of a war. So after becoming President, he passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. By the ’90s there were 45,000 miles of road built.

How did highways segregate and displace communities of color?

The United States was still racially segregated at the time of highway expansion. Communities of color were not prioritized when some of these choices of where to place highways were made. Black and white communities were largely divided, and many of the highways were literally built around Black neighborhoods, isolating those communities away from the rest of white America. This also led to displacement as some highways were built right through neighborhoods, tearing down housing and businesses displacing and destroying Black communities as they weren’t protected and considered as politically valuable as wealthier white communities were.

What is environmental racism?

Now that we know how, why, and where the highways were placed,  what impact are they having on us today? Environmental racism is racial discrimination in environmental policy decisions. Looking at Oakland and Los Angeles as examples, we see that folks who live closer to highways have higher exposure to the pollution which can cause an array of health problems such as asthma, other respiratory issues, lower life expectancy, and potential developmental delays for children.

What are potential solutions to highway pollution and displacement?

Many cities across the U.S. have removed portions of freeways or have announced studies to look into removing them. One argument that’s always brought up is that removing highways could increase traffic, or commuting would be worse somehow. However, most projects are only talking about removing a portion of a highway-- not the entire thing-- and typically the highways being proposed for removal aren't used as heavily as other portions of the highway or are in poor condition. There's also the question of reparations: how do we compensate the communities most impacted who are still dealing with the effects of highway expansion today? In 2022, President Biden proposed 1.9 billion dollars in grants to fund “Neighborhood Access and Equity” as part of the Inflation Reduction Act to help rebuild communities impacted by highways and infrastructure. While it remains to be seen how this funding will be distributed and implemented, it is considered an important step towards progress by many affected communities.

Selected Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/07/984784455/a-brief-history-of-how-racism-shaped-interstate-highways

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/05/27/climate/us-cities-highway-removal.html

https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2021-11-11/the-racist-history-of-americas-interstate-highway-boom

https://www.edf.org/airqualitymaps/oakland/health-disparities

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8011332/

https://www.portofoakland.com/files/PDF/Air%20Pollution%20and%20Health%20Risks%20ACPHD.pdf

00:00 Intro
00:39 History of highways in America
01:58 How were Infrastructure choices made
03:28 Environmental Racism Impacts
04:55 Removing Highways as a solution
06:00 Mandela Parkway

#highways #pollution #environment #urbanplanning
06:31 Reparations for communities impacted by highways

Видео The Secret Ways Highways Are Killing Us канала Above The Noise