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Why are cities removing their freeways? A systematic review of the literature

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  • Fahimeh Khalaj
  • Dorina Pojani
  • Neil Sipe
  • Jonathan Corcoran

Abstract

A scientific consensus has recently emerged suggesting that the dominant twentieth century paradigm of solving transportation congestion problems by building more freeways failed. The legacy of the freeway construction era is clearly visible in polluted and congested cities worldwide. To battle these ills, planning academics have been promoting more sustainable built form aligned with dedicated public/active transport provision. Partly as a result of the push coming from academia, a number of cities have sought to remove their freeways and replace the freed up space with alternate transport infrastructure, such as streets and boulevards. To discern if the transportation planning profession is currently undergoing a paradigm shift or whether freeway removal is merely a temporary fad, we have conducted a systematic review of the literature. In this article, we unpack the underlying reasons which have led some cities to removing their freeways. Results reveal that a paradigm shift has arguably not yet taken place in transportation planning. While many cities are creating human-scale and active transport spaces, currently these spaces tend to coexist alongside freeways. American cities, which were once the pioneers of freeway construction, appear to be lagging behind cities in Europe and Asia in this respect. If the current pace of freeway removal continues, it may take a few decades before the transportation planners, politicians, policy makers, and communities adopt radically different norms, methods, and goals. However, a radical approach may need to be taken sooner given alarming global warming predictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Fahimeh Khalaj & Dorina Pojani & Neil Sipe & Jonathan Corcoran, 2020. "Why are cities removing their freeways? A systematic review of the literature," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(5), pages 557-580, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:transr:v:40:y:2020:i:5:p:557-580
    DOI: 10.1080/01441647.2020.1743919
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    Cited by:

    1. Paweł Pistelok & Daniel Štraub, 2021. "Evaluation of the Road Policy in the Light of Vision Zero in Jaworzno, Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    2. Francesco Filippi, 2022. "A Paradigm Shift for a Transition to Sustainable Urban Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-27, March.
    3. Timo Liljamo & Heikki Liimatainen & Markus Pöllänen & Riku Viri, 2021. "The Effects of Mobility as a Service and Autonomous Vehicles on People’s Willingness to Own a Car in the Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-28, February.
    4. Soliz, Aryana & Carvalho, Thiago & Sarmiento-Casas, Claudio & Sánchez-Rodríguez, Jorge & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2023. "Scaling up active transportation across North America: A comparative content analysis of policies through a social equity framework," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    5. Humpe, Andreas & Gössling, Stefan & Haustein, Sonja, 2022. "Car careers: A socio-psychological evaluation of aspirational automobile ownership," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 156-166.

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