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Depends on the freeway, often times those half decayed neighborhoods are the result of that freeway cutting through them.
That is true. Many poor neighborhoods were further isolated and cut off when freeways tore through them, contributing to decline. However, I disagree with the idea that removing these freeways 50 or 60 years later will do anything to help these areas, or help anything for that matter (except contribute to traffic congestion ).
America's Freeways really prompted the growth of the Middle Class by making their habitat, Suburbia, more habitable- Middle Class people were able to get in and out of the city a lot more seamlessly because of the new highway system, which really enabled the lifestyle.
Lots of Americans, probably a majority, like the lifestyle that the interstate system helps to make possible.
Your second part describes what I mean by "didn't work." It didn't work for those cities trying to revitalize their cores and inner neighborhoods. In many cases the urban highways made things worse for those cities.
That is true. Many poor neighborhoods were further isolated and cut off when freeways tore through them, contributing to decline. However, I disagree with the idea that removing these freeways 50 or 60 years later will do anything to help these areas, or help anything for that matter (except contribute to traffic congestion ).
In many cases, you care correct, removing a freeway won't fix these neighborhoods and it won't do anything for congestion. On the other hand, if we look at specific freeways, the problems and solutions could be much different where removal could be an option to help the neighborhoods it cuts through, as well as streamlining traffic flow.
As long as the freeways are being used efficiently, I see no reason to remove them. Putting freeways through inner cities were bad ideas. Even Thomas H. MacDonald, the chief of the Bureau of Public Roads (today known as the Federal Highway Administration) realized it.
Cities were already declining before the highways. Planners don't address the problems they set out to fix. More needs to be done than plant trees and build condos.
Your second part describes what I mean by "didn't work." It didn't work for those cities trying to revitalize their cores and inner neighborhoods. In many cases the urban highways made things worse for those cities.
The freeway system helps the inner city by providing the means for Middle Class workers to get to their jobs in the core. Further, it helps inner neighborhood residents by providing a means for them to get to shopping malls in the suburbs.
I suppose if the Middle Class didn't rise up in the post WWII period, that there would be more people living in the city. But I don't think the country as a whole, would be better off, and the inner cities would only be marginally better off, it at all. The cities had to clean up their acts to compete with a lot of the suburban plans and shopping areas, and they've done that to a large part. Inner city crime is definitely down since the 70's, movies like "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry" were a lot more realistic in their day than current people realize.
People like the idea of private transportation that the freeways represent. Traveling on your own schedule, on a route of your own choosing, and not being subject to labor disputes from transit employees---all of those are points of positivity for the American Middle Class experience.
The freeway system helps the inner city by providing the means for Middle Class workers to get to their jobs in the core. Further, it helps inner neighborhood residents by providing a means for them to get to shopping malls in the suburbs.
I suppose if the Middle Class didn't rise up in the post WWII period, that there would be more people living in the city. But I don't think the country as a whole, would be better off, and the inner cities would only be marginally better off, it at all. The cities had to clean up their acts to compete with a lot of the suburban plans and shopping areas, and they've done that to a large part. Inner city crime is definitely down since the 70's, movies like "Death Wish" and "Dirty Harry" were a lot more realistic in their day than current people realize.
People like the idea of private transportation that the freeways represent. Traveling on your own schedule, on a route of your own choosing, and not being subject to labor disputes from transit employees---all of those are points of positivity for the American Middle Class experience.
Not always true, often times inner neighborhoods didn't get the luxury of having off ramps to go with that freeway that cut through their neighborhoods that divided them in two. Also, jobs in many cities migrated outside of those city cores thanks to those freeways that made it easier for people to move further out....we call them "office parks." Plus, nothing hurts a downtown more than having it go dead at 6pm, the moment everyone that works downtown escape back to the suburbs.
So no, freeways in many cases did not do much to help downtowns and inner neighborhoods.
Not always true, often times inner neighborhoods didn't get the luxury of having off ramps to go with that freeway that cut through their neighborhoods that divided them in two. Also, jobs in many cities migrated outside of those city cores thanks to those freeways that made it easier for people to move further out....we call them "office parks." Plus, nothing hurts a downtown more than having it go dead at 6pm, the moment everyone that works downtown escape back to the suburbs.
So no, freeways in many cases did not do much to help downtowns and inner neighborhoods.
Office parks in the suburbs go dead at 6 p.m. as well. My old man took me to a local office park in the evening to teach me to drive, back in the day. Most people that work in offices don't work in the evening, except for the janitors.
People who live in city neighborhoods escape back to their own areas and their own homes in the evening as well- it isn't just suburban workers.
Office parks in the suburbs go dead at 6 p.m. as well. My old man took me to a local office park in the evening to teach me to drive, back in the day. Most people that work in offices don't work in the evening, except for the janitors.
A decent downtown usually has things other than just offices, for example shopping. Office parks are just offices.
....Plus, nothing hurts a downtown more than having it go dead at 6pm, the moment everyone that works downtown escape back to the suburbs.
So no, freeways in many cases did not do much to help downtowns and inner neighborhoods.
"Escape" implies leaving a place they didn't want to be. You speak as if "downtown" was an entity. Exactly how is "downtown" hurt when people that don't want to be there leave for half a day? The buildings don't suffer and aren't entities.
Your arguments suggests that you want to hold people against their will by making it difficult for them to return to their families or to go about their daily business. How is this "good" for "downtown" and why should all these people you wish to impose upon be burdened with your vision about what's "good" for downtown?
These arguments sound like the arguments so-called progressives make to increase taxes in order to collect more revenue. It doesn't work that way. If you make it more difficult for people to get into and out of the city then employers and workers will (wherever possible) seek to find alternatives. It's already more expensive which is not a plus. As it stands, there is no logical reason why all these businesses and people need to locate "downtown" to begin with much less be held captive there to satiate the narcissistic urbanists they have no desire to "hang out" with after work.
Office parks in the suburbs go dead at 6 p.m. as well. My old man took me to a local office park in the evening to teach me to drive, back in the day. Most people that work in offices don't work in the evening, except for the janitors.
People who live in city neighborhoods escape back to their own areas and their own homes in the evening as well- it isn't just suburban workers.
A healthy downtown offers more than just office space. Housing, retail, restaurants, food, and activities are what make a downtown active outside of office hours.
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