Reconnecting Communities

DESCRIPTION

This webinar is led by ITE Planning Council.

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Webinar Description:
In the mid-20th century, transportation planning was mostly focused on how to increase mobility for suburban commuters to and from downtown areas. As a result, expressways were built to encircle central business districts, which often became a barrier between adjacent neighborhoods. Connections between city’s homes, businesses, riverfront, markets, entertainment districts, and other vibrant neighborhoods were lost with the construction of highways, which often affected minority communities the most. As these highways approach the end of their life cycle, agencies have started to consider whether rebuilding or removing them is the best answer, especially with the recent passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that dedicates $1 billion for highway capping and removal. Conversion of several existing highways into at-grade roadways that take all modes of transportation into consideration represents an equitable approach to reconnecting cities. This webinar will focus on the ongoing effort to reconnect cities, and will explore case studies illustrating overall lessons learned, challenges, and success stories at different stages of the highway removal process. Webinar attendees will learn about local perspectives for planning, implementation, and post-implementation of the City of Detroit’s I-375 Removal Project, the City of Rochester’s I-490 Inner Loop removal and conversion, and the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s removal of I-84 through Downtown Hartford.

Learning Objectives:

• Provide an overview of the history and context of highways built in the United States in the mid-20th century and how the recent passage of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and current transportation needs may change this scenario.
• Explain how highway removal and conversion can be used as an equitable approach to reconnecting neighborhoods, cultural, and economic centers in cities.
• Learn about city and state perspectives for planning, implementation, and post-implementation of highway removal and conversion projects.
• Explore highway removal and conversion project elements that incorporate Complete Streets and Safe System Approach principles, and establish a long-term sustainable future for all road users.

Policies: Registration for the live event closes 30 minutes prior to the start. Once this webinar recording is made available on-demand it will have a shelf life of 60 days to register before it is archived. Participants are able to purchase and retrieve their certificate until their access to the content expires. After the content expires and goes into archive, the certificate opportunity is forfeit.

To learn how to register for this webinar and other important webinar information, please view the webinar course page here.