The Texas Freeway Fight with Megan Kimble

The Texas Freeway Fight with Megan Kimble

Author: The War on Cars, LLC April 2, 2024 Duration: 40:14

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 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? 

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers. ***

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. 

Buy t-shirts, stickers, hats and more in The War on Cars merch store.

Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us!

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.

TheWarOnCars.org


Imagine a world not built around traffic jams and parking lots, but shaped for people. The War on Cars is a dispatch from the front lines of that effort, a collective conversation questioning the automobile’s dominance over our cities, our environment, and our daily lives. Each episode digs into the real-world fight to reclaim public space, examining everything from the politics of a new bike lane to the history of how cars came to rule. You’ll hear from urban planners, activists, historians, and ordinary people pushing back, offering a mix of sharp analysis, on-the-ground reporting, and compelling narratives. This isn’t just about transportation; it’s about the culture and societal choices that have led us here, and the tangible, often inspiring work to create safer, quieter, and more connected communities. Tune in for a thoughtful and necessary critique of the status quo, a podcast dedicated to the idea that our streets can-and should-be for so much more.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The War on Cars
Podcast Episodes
EPISODE 170: A Doctor's View of Traffic Violence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:56
We talk with a guest who knows firsthand just how destructive cars can be. Dr. Rex Tai is a physician who works in long-term care. Many of his patients are the victims of traffic violence. His experience providing care f…
PREVIEW: Let's Get Political [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:46
This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, becom…
Tony Kushner on The Pushcart War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:45
The Pushcart War—written by Jean Merrill and illustrated by Ronni Solbert and first published in 1964—is a charming and provocative children's novel that tells the story of a band of pushcart vendors who fight against th…
America's Hidden Desire to Live Car-Free [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:54
Do people really like our all-enveloping autocentric system quite as much as everyone keeps saying they do? What kind of communities would they live in if given the choice? The answers, as a new study shows, are not exac…
Planning Livable Downtowns with Brent Toderian [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:40
Brent Toderian has decades of experience in city planning, urban design, and transportation. He was chief planner for the city of Vancouver from 2006 to 2012, a time when the city hosted and was transformed by the Winter…
Superbowl Roundup with Ian Chillag [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:56
Super Bowl LX had everything, from ads for weight loss drugs and male grooming products to spots touting tax prep services and calming fears about our AI overlords. It also had one outstanding halftime performance from B…
PREVIEW: Women Changing Cities with Melissa and Chris Bruntlett [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:33
***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, be…
The Importance of Livable Streets with Bruce Appleyard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:37
We talked with Dr. Bruce Appleyard, who has spent a lifetime thinking about what we mean when we talk about liveable streets—and why it is so important that we build our cities with human beings in mind, first and foremo…
The Creation of America's Car Culture, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:16
Signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, otherwise known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, ushered in an unprecedented era of roadbuilding in the United S…