Matt Drwenski, “roadsTaken,” Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, October 31, 2024.
The “roadsTaken” mapping project was created by Matt Drwenski of the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and Uilvim Ettore Gardin Franco and Bruno Sousa of Rice University’s Spatial Studies Lab in collaboration with Diluvial Houston.
The “roadsTaken” project emerges from the growing need to understand the historical and ongoing consequences of urban freeway construction and infrastructure development. The initial phase of this project is focused on highway construction in Houston. It provides a resource at the intersection of social and environmental justice (EJ) considerations and the development of major infrastructure projects. Such resources are valuable when considering future projects like the I-45 expansion, expansion of ports and supporting transportation infrastructure, growth and development of new infrastructures across the nascent hydrogen and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) industries, and much more. By providing a dynamic data-driven visualization, “roadsTaken” aims to highlight the oft-hidden costs of development, such as displacement of communities, in Houston to better understand the full set of trade-offs associated with economic expansion.
The initial phase of this project documents the displacement of communities, which predominantly consist of low-income and minority populations, caused by mid-20th-century freeway projects. Accordingly, this living project is a critical tool for policymakers, researchers, and interested parties. It sheds light on the city’s highway history and, thus, provides an important resource for current debates on highway expansion.
More generally, Houston has positioned itself as the energy capital of the world and strives to maintain its place as such. Therefore, regardless of what energy transitions may bring, “roadsTaken” provides a critical resource for understanding the importance of urban planning in shaping an equitable future.
Learn more about the map here.
This material may be quoted or reproduced without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to the author and Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The views expressed herein are those of the individual author(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
