September 22, 2021
Dear members of Congress,
On behalf of a nationwide coalition of campaigns seeking to reimagine freeway corridors in American cities, we, the 84 undersigned organizations, calls on our leaders in Congress to support the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants proposed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee for the current reconciliation bill and include this program as part of any final infrastructure package.
We are thrilled with the transformative power that the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants will have for the over 10 million Americans who live adjacent to major transportation corridors. Too often, their communities bear the brunt of a highway’s ill effects, from the noxious emissions leading to lifelong health conditions to the severe disinvestment that drives away local businesses, services, and amenities. The Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants represent a historic investment in these communities and help them heal from the damage highways have caused. By funding freeway capping and highways-to-boulevards projects, these grants have the power to build new infrastructure that improves residents’ quality of life and supports more environmentally and economically resilient communities.
We are particularly impressed with the grant program’s prioritization of economically disadvantaged and underserved communities, often the communities of color considered expendable when highways are built. In particular, we applaud the grant program’s provision that grantees have anti-displacement protections in place before undertaking construction. Studies show that freeway capping and highways-to-boulevards projects generate immense economic benefits. They also show that projects removing infrastructure barriers can also increase the potential for the displacement of long standing residents, who find themselves priced out of their communities. Anti-displacement protections are a necessary step to ensure that the people living around highways now benefit from the investments made by the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants.
Finally, this grant program represents a true commitment to the Build Back Better pledge to deliver environmental justice and address climate change through new infrastructure investments. Its focus on building sustainable and affordable transportation infrastructure that reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases, dissipates the effects of urban heat islands, and better manages stormwater runoff and flooding backs the concepts of equity, sustainability, and community described by the Secretary of Transportation and the White House.
The Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants are an investment in both the physical and social infrastructure of our country, where more often than not one’s ZIP code serves as an indicator of access to opportunities. This program increases the number of communities whose physical environment will no longer hold them back from opportunity. For all the reasons included in this letter, we urge you to support the inclusion of the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants in the reconciliation bill.
Thank you for your leadership.
Congress for the New Urbanism
Washington, DC
National Association of City Transportation Officials
New York, NY
Transportation for America
Washington, DC
Third Way
Washington, DC
America Walks
Annandale, VA
PeopleForBikes
Boulder, CO
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Chicago, IL
Shared-Use Mobility Center
Chicago, IL
Transit Riders of the US Together
Nationwide
The City of Oakland
Oakland, CA
ConnectOakland
Oakland, CA
Puente Latino Association
Long Beach, CA
SPUR
San Francisco, CA
#blvtampa
Tampa, FL
Collective Form
St. Petersburg, FL
Active Transportation Alliance
Chicago, IL
Congress for the New Urbanism, Illinois Chapter
Chicago, IL
The Endeleo Institute, Inc.
Chicago, IL
The Equiticity Racial Equity Movement
Chicago, IL
Foundation for Homan Square
Chicago, IL
Metropolitan Planning Council
Chicago, IL
8664
Louisville, KY
Acadian Group of the Sierra Club
Lafayette, LA
Allendale Strong
Shreveport, LA
Claiborne Avenue Alliance
New Orleans, LA
Culture House
Somerville, MA
Sunrise Worcester
Worcester, MA
Transportation for Massachusetts
Boston, MA
Detroit Greenways Coalition
Detroit, MI
Henry Ford Health System
Detroit, MI
Duluth Waterfront Collective
Duluth, MN
Our Streets Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN
Reclaim Community
Jasper, MN
Sweetwater Alliance
Duluth, MN
Downtown Council of Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
Urban Land Institute, Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
Seven Oaks Society
Orange, NJ
Albany Riverfront Collaborative
Albany, NY
The Future of Small Cities Institute
Troy, NY
GObike
Buffalo, NY
Hinge Neighbors, Inc.
Rochester, NY
Institute for Public Architecture
New York, NY
Restore Our Community Coalition
Buffalo, NY
The Scajaquada Corridor Coalition
Buffalo, NY
Urban Design Center of Syracuse
Syracuse, NY
Vision Niagara, Inc.
Buffalo, NY
Durham Freeways to Boulevards Justice Project
Durham, NC
Urban3
Asheville, NC
Bridge Forward Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
Transform Tulsa Alliance
Tulsa, OK
Business for a Better Portland
Portland, OR
No More Freeways
Portland, OR
Parking Reform Network
Portland, OR
Place Initiative
Portland, OR
Catholic Social Action
Pittsburgh, PA
CIVITAS.design
Erie, PA
Connect Urban Erie
Erie, PA
Air Alliance Houston
Houston, TX
AURA
Austin, TX
Austin Outside
Austin, TX
Bike Austin
Austin, TX
Bike Houston
Houston, TX
Coalition for a New Dallas
Dallas, TX
Congress for the New Urbanism, Central Texas Chapter
Austin, TX
Farm&City
Austin, TX
Freeways for the People
El Paso, TX
Reconnect Austin
Austin, TX
Rethink35
Austin, TX
Save Our Springs Alliance
Austin, TX
Stop TxDOT I-45
Houston, TX
Velo Paso Bicycle-Pedestrian Coalition
El Paso, TX
Walk Austin
Austin, TX
Cultivate South Park
Seattle, WA
Disability Mobility Initiative, Disability Rights Washington
Seattle, WA
Lid I-5
Seattle, WA
Move Redmond
Redmond, WA
Seattle Parks Foundation
Seattle, WA
Transportation Choices Coalition
Seattle, WA
1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Madison, WI
Bublr Bikes
Milwaukee, WI
Law Office of Dennis M. Grzezinski
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Milwaukee, WI
Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
Madison, WI
Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance
Madison, WI