Building the Freeway System
Transportation determines so much of our lives: where we live, where we work, where we send our kids to school, where we shop and find recreation, which neighborhoods prosper and which decline, etc. The University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies (CTS) and Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) are leading centers for study of transportation and its effects on modern life.
Hence I was interested when an impressive report/disseration arrived in my mailbox recently: Politics and Freeways: Building the Twin Cities Interstate System by Patricia Cavanaugh. Jointly sponsored by CTS and CURA, the report traces the history, politics, and decision points from the "Mega-Projects" era (1956 to the late 1960s) through the expansion of the debate (1970 to the mid-1990s) to the current period of falling behind (1990s to present). The report is available on the CURA web site. It is well worth browsing or reading. Here I'd like just to note the questions at the end of the Conclusions (p. 111):
What is congestion?
What levels are tolerable, and how much are we willing to pay to provide relief?
Minnesotans, like many Americans, are strongly attached to their cars and expect unlimited mobility. Is that a reasonable expectation?
Despite our tradition of providing access to transportation as a public good, is the region better served by requiring people to pay for the use of certain facilities?
Are there land-use patterns that have potential for reducing the need to drive?
What factors would have a significant effect on decisions about location and transportation for business and households?
What mix of transit and roads would fit our region?
How do we balance transportation needs against other social goods, such as education and healthcare, when resources are scarce?
If there is no money, will there be innovation, or does the innovation have to come first?
Key questions indeed, which will vex the public, government agencies, and politicians for a long time to come. The University has a key role in engaging with the other stakeholders to provide an objective and informed voice in the debate.