• When is a highway cap appropriate?

    In a series of articles, Public Square is exploring common threads from CNU's recent Freeways Without Futures 2021. This article explores recent proposals for highway caps.
    In our previous coverage of Freeways Without Futures 2021 , we looked at three ways to tame major highways . One possible solution is to cover the highway. Highway caps, also known as lids, can be a contentious topic among urbanists. Critics argue that highway caps are little more than greenwashing...Read more

  • Three ways to tame major highways

    CNU’s biennial Freeways Without Futures report is out now! In a series of articles, Public Square is exploring common threads from the report. This is article 3.
    Nearly every city in America has one: the big highway that runs across its center. It separates neighborhoods, pollutes residents’ homes, and drives disinvestment, but since it’s been deemed vital for traffic, there’s little impetus to do anything about it. Freeways Without Futures 2021 tells the...Read more

  • The return of the parkway

    CNU’s biennial Freeways Without Futures report is out now! In a series of articles, Public Square is exploring common threads from the report. This is article 2.
    Prior to the Interstate era, the landscaped parkway was the predominant way to get in and around cities. Examples from this earlier period, like the Emerald Necklace in Boston, show that parkways can carry substantial traffic and provide a pleasant setting for recreation even as traffic moves...Read more

  • What comes after the highway?

    CNU’s biennial Freeways Without Futures report is out now! In a series of articles, Public Square is exploring common threads from the report. This is article 1.
    It’s no secret that highway builders leveled vibrant communities to make way for many of the roads in our cities today. It’s also no secret that highway builders often targeted communities of color, who typically lacked the resources required to fight back. The disproportionate effects highway...Read more