Justice and the Interstates

Real-world advice for planners and engineers hoping to implement transportation projects that serve people, not cars.

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“Seventy years of a car-only approach—not car-centric, it’s car-only—is actually not just non-driver hostile, it’s driver hostile. No
one benefits.” —Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for America
The car-only approach in transportation planning and engineering has led to the construction of roadways that have torn
apart and devalued communities, especially Black and Brown communities. Forging a new path to repair this damage
requires a community solutions-based approach to planning, designing, and building our roadways. When Lynn
Peterson began working as a transportation engineer, she was taught to evaluate roadway projects based only on metrics
related to driver safety, allowable speed for the highest number of cars, project schedule, and budget. Involving the
community and collaborating with peers were never part of the discussion. Today, Peterson is a recognized leader in
transportation planning and engineering, known for her approach that is rooted in racial equity, guided by a process of
community engagement, and includes collaboration with other professionals.
In Roadways for People, Lynn Peterson draws from her personal experience and interviews with leaders in the field to
showcase new possibilities within transportation engineering and planning. She incorporated a community-solutions
based approach in her work at Metro, TriMet, and while running the Washington State Department of Transportation,
where she played an instrumental role in the largest transportation bill in that state’s history. The community
solutions-based approach moves away from the narrow standards of traditional transportation design and focuses
instead on a process that involves consistent feedback, learning loops, and meaningful and regular community
engagement. This approach seeks to address the transportation needs of the most historically marginalized members of
the community.
Roadways for People is written to empower professionals and policymakers to create transportation solutions that serve
people rather than cars. Examples across the U.S.—from Portland, Oregon to Baltimore, Maryland—show what is
possible with a community-centered approach. As traditional highway expansions are put on pause around the country,
professionals and policymakers have an opportunity to move forward with a better approach. Peterson shows them how.