The War on Cars
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EPISODE 123: The Texas Freeway Fight with Megan Kimble
🕑 Added 2024-04-02 09:00:05 +0000 UTCHello, Dear Patreon enlistees!
Journalist Megan Kimble's new book is out today! The first stop on her media tour? It's The War on Cars (Sorry, Fresh Air). We have had Megan on our "must get" list for a few years now. Well, we got her and had a great conversation about what is arguably the biggest battle currently underway in the so-called war on cars. Hope you enjoy the ad-free episode and thanks so much for your support. We really appreciate it. Let us know what you think in the comments.
-- Aaron, Doug & Sarah
In the 20th century, planners and policymakers smashed Interstate highways through the middle of every major city in the United States. In the 21st century, we understand the many ways that urban freeways were economic, environmental, and racial justice disasters. And yet, incredibly, the State of Texas is planning to spend over $64 billion in the next few years to widen highways through the middle of its three largest cities, Houston, Dallas and Austin. Journalist Megan Kimble has been reporting on the Texas freeway fight for years now. Her outstanding new book -- published today -- is City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways. In it, she tells the stories of the communities in the path of TxDOT’s bulldozers and the brave Texans fighting against long odds to save their homes, neighborhoods, and cities from a seemingly implacable foe. What if, instead of expanding the aging and outmoded urban freeways dividing our cities, we tore them down?
LINKS:
Megan Kimble’s new book is City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways. It is excellent! Find it in The War on Cars store on Bookshop.org or get it from your neighborhood bookseller.
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This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear.
Comments
Austin Ledzian
Inspiring episode
Elise Steichen
This was really great. I just checked her book out from the library! I don't know anything about Texas and was disappointed to hear that the commission didn't take into account public comments when approving the budget. But I guess ignoring public comments is common, I live in Minnesota and MNDot just didn't allow live public comments during the last meeting about what they're going to do with I-94 (remove, expand, etc). Hopefully they get it together and we don't become like TX, though the advocates are doing great! https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2024/02/whats-the-latest-on-the-rethinking-i-94-project/
