Divided highway

urban-planningracial-justiceinfrastructureredlining

Abstraction: Syracuse I-81 removal as case study in infrastructure racial justice

Key points:

Interstate 81 in Syracuse, NY was built in the 1950s through the historically Black 15th Ward, displacing ~1,300 residents as part of a pattern seen in 40+ U.S. cities
New York State plans to replace a 1.4-mile elevated stretch with a surface-level boulevard, routing high-speed traffic around the city — construction could begin as early as 2022
Biden administration proposed $20 billion to redress historic infrastructure inequities; cited Syracuse as a national example
Community concerns: access ramp 250 ft from an elementary school (vs. 500 ft guideline), use of a neighborhood park as a construction zone, lack of guaranteed local jobs
Gentrification risk is real — Oakland's Black population fell sharply after a similar freeway-to-boulevard conversion in 2005; residents are pushing for a community land trust over the 18 newly cleared acres

Connections: Urban Infrastructure · Racial Equity