The Strong Towns Podcast - How Inner City Highways Bankrupt Downtowns And How We Rebuild

The Strong Towns Podcast - How Inner City Highways Bankrupt Downtowns And How We Rebuild

From Think and Act Locally by Think & Act Locally

April 27, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

Patrick Kennedy discusses the economic impacts of inner-city highways and the potential benefits of their removal.

When planner Patrick Kennedy started asking why prime land near downtown Dallas was filled with parking lots and boarded‑up buildings, the trail led straight to an elevated freeway: I‑345. He explains how making a hard economic case for removal—showing that taking the highway out could deliver the highest return on investment with minimal traffic impacts—grew into the Atlas of Inner City Highway Impacts , a data‑driven look at 142 U.S. cities. Kennedy details how inner‑city highways consume acres of valuable land, depress nearby property values, and either clog up all day in thriving metros or cut through struggling ones at full speed, while federal funding formulas and induced demand keep pushing us toward more lanes. Additional Show Notes Patrick Kennedy (LinkedIn) The Human Ecosystem (Site) Atlas of Inner-City Highway Impacts (PDF) " Adding Up What Urban Highways Really Cost ", by Benjamin Schneider (Article) Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you!

People in this episode

Host: Think & Act Locally

Guest: Patrick Kennedy

Topics covered

  • urban planning
  • highways
  • economic impact
  • property values
  • infrastructure
  • city development

Keywords

  • inner city highways
  • urban development
  • economic case
  • property values
  • traffic impacts
  • federal funding
  • land use

Sponsors

Strong Towns

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Atlas of Inner-City Highway Impacts

Places: Dallas, U.S., I‑345

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