Megan Kimble: The Toll Urban Highways Take and the People Fighting Back
May 20, 2024
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Journalist Megan Kimble discusses the social impacts of urban highway expansion in Texas cities like Austin, Dallas, and Houston. She highlights community resistance efforts, grassroots activism, displacement in minority neighborhoods, and the challenges of aligning federal and state funding for highway projects.
Highway expansions lead to housing displacement and accessibility issues, impacting marginalized communities in cities like Austin, Houston, and Dallas.
Grassroots activism challenges controversial highway projects threatening neighborhood integrity and community well-being, highlighting the importance of community mobilization and awareness-raising.
Deep dives
Megan Kimball's Insights on the Link Between Highways and Housing Affordability
Investigative journalist Megan Kimball shares her journey uncovering the interconnection between highway expansions and housing affordability. Through her recent book, she sheds light on the impact of highway projects on housing displacement and accessibility, particularly in cities like Austin, Houston, and Dallas. Kimball's in-depth exploration reveals the alarming scale of displacement and the complex intersection of transportation infrastructure and housing challenges.
Activism in Response to Highway Expansion Projects
In various cities, grassroots activism has emerged in response to controversial highway expansion projects. Individuals like Susan Graham in Houston and Patrick Kennedy in Dallas have spearheaded movements opposing highway constructions that disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities. By engaging in initiatives like distributing yard signs and community walks, these activists aim to raise awareness and mobilize support against highway projects that threaten neighborhood integrity and community well-being.
Equity Goals vs. State Authority in Transportation Planning
Despite federal pledges to prioritize equity in transportation infrastructure, state-level control over funding and decision-making often impedes these goals. The disconnect between federal intentions and state actions is evident in projects like the I-45 expansion in Houston, where displacement of marginalized communities persists despite federal intervention attempts. The book highlights the challenge of aligning equity objectives with state-driven transportation agendas.
The Need for Reassessing State DOTs' Influence in Transportation Policy
Megan Kimball emphasizes the significance of addressing the influential role of state Department of Transportations (DOTs) in shaping transportation policies and infrastructure projects. While federal initiatives strive for equity and community well-being, state DOTs often wield considerable power in determining project priorities and implementation. Kimball advocates for increased scrutiny and journalistic coverage of state DOT actions to foster accountability and transparency in transportation planning.
Megan Kimble is an Austin-based journalist and author who’s spent the last four years writing about urban highways and highway expansion in Texas. Today, she’s joining us to discuss her new book “City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways,” where she explores three highway projects in Austin, Dallas and Houston, and the different groups fighting to stop them.