The War on Cars The Creation of America's Car Culture, Part 2
9 snips
Jan 6, 2026 
Alana Strauss, a reporter focused on urban infrastructure's social impacts, joins Amy Steli, an urban planner from New Orleans, and Richard Levy, a civil rights activist and professor. They dive into how the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 transformed American cities. Steli reflects on the devastating effects of the Claiborne Expressway on the Treme community, highlighting racial injustices in highway placement. Levy recounts community resistance to the I-81 highway in Syracuse, sharing stories of protests and solidarity, and the ongoing fight to reclaim urban spaces.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Childhood of Claiborne Avenue
- Amy Steli grew up in Treme and remembers Claiborne Avenue as a broad, tree-lined boulevard full of Black-owned businesses.
- Construction of the Claiborne Expressway in 1966 demolished homes and businesses and began the neighborhood's decades-long decline.
Futurama Shaped U.S. Urban Vision
- The Futurama exhibit and automakers promoted a vision of traffic-free highways and car-centered suburbs.
- That vision reshaped U.S. planning toward car dependence rather than preserving dense, transit-rich cities.
Defense Rationales Drove Highway Politics
- Fear of nuclear attack and military mobility were key rationales for the Interstate and Defense Highway Act.
- Eisenhower and planners cited defense needs to secure broad federal support and funding for highways.