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June 28, 2006
Happy Birthday to the Interstate Highway System
As an article in last week's Economist (sorry, you probably have to jump through some registration screens to see this) reminds us, it was 50 years ago this month that President Eisenhower signed the bill creating the Interstate Highway System (hanging a carrot of 90% Federal matching funds in front of states).
The impact on our landscape, cities and economy has been tremendous, in both positive and negative ways. The key question is what is the direction for the next 50 years?
Posted by Chris Smith at 1:33 AM
Comments
June 28, 2006 10:38 PM
nathan Says:
For the next 50 years:
-Keep that tax money in the states it belongs in.
-build regional and metro rail systems in urban areas
-concentrate on local, rather than national or international, food production
-reinvent the airline industry with a focus on cheaper flights and cleaner burning fuels
...And many more ideas ;)
July 3, 2006 12:21 AM
Greg Says:
I was in DC the week before last (just before the flooding there) and I went to the Smithsonian Museum of History and Technology. They had an exhibit on the history of transit. the exhibit was sponsored by GM so obviously it had an anti-streetcar bias. What was funny to me was that they had this big display about post-WWII Sandy Boulevard in Portland as the example of car development.
It would be nice to go back there again someday and see Portland shown instead as an example of a well-planned transit system in the era after peak oil.
July 3, 2006 2:02 AM
Isaac Says:
Oops, I posted this on the wrong thread...
Here's an interesting article that talks about how funding for the highways are in danger.
http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2006/06/27/defense-highways/
