What yesterday may have been a harebrained scheme is increasingly understood as a huge money saver. Oh, and it also builds community and real estate value. At the Highways to Boulevards web page of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), you can see photos, read more about this option, and see what Buffalo is doing about its outdated highway. I quote:
“Reclaiming Urbanism and Revitalizing Cities
“America’s twentieth century highway building era included elevated freeways which cut huge swaths across our cities, decimating neighborhoods and reducing quality of life for city residents. This massive concrete infrastructure had devastating effects on urban economies. It blighted adjacent property and pushed access to basic amenities further out. With the Federal and State Departments of Transportation confronting shrinking budgets and cities looking for ways to increase their revenues, it is an ideal time to offer less expensive, urban alternatives to the reconstruction of urban expressways.
“New York City, Portland, San Francisco, Milwaukee and Seoul, South Korea have confronted this problem by replacing elevated highways with boulevards, saving billions of dollars and increasing real estate values and economic development on adjacent land. The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) believe that teardowns offer an attractive option for cities struggling with aging highway infrastructure. The strategies are proving themselves in adding value and restoring urban neighborhoods decimated by highway construction.”
If these cities are taking this idea seriously, is there any reason why Syracuse shouldn’t?
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