Equity Matters
In history, highways were built through neighborhoods without much power to fight back – most often Black neighborhoods Highways can lead to problems for nearby residents, such as asthma and lower property values. If people can afford to, they often move away. This means that poorer communities are more likely to be near highways, even if the highways were not planned that way.
[VBE27] Bullard, R. D. (1994). The Legacy of American Apartheid and Environmental Racism. Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development, 9(2). https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/jcred/vol9/iss2/3/
[VBE28] King, Noel. A Brief History Of How Racism Shaped Interstate Highways. GBH News. April 7, 2021. https://www.wgbh.org/news/national-news/2021/04/07/a-brief-history-of-how-racism-shaped-interstate-highways