Urban Development - Then and Now

A comparison of how Minneapolis changed as an urban ecosystem from 1953 (left) to 2014 (right)
Provided by The Institute for Quality Communities at the University of Oklahoma

       There are many changes that can be observed in these two images. I think that one of the most important changes made to the city of Minneapolis between 1953 and 2014 was the addition of highways, which appeared right in the middle of this bustling urban city. While highways were introduced in order to allow residents to travel quickly from one major area to another and to therefore connect people and different parts of the city, it is important to note that in many ways they achieve the opposite effect. These massive automobile arteries do more to divide a city than anything else. Areas that were once densely populated with vibrant and diverse neighborhoods no longer exist and the distance between the neighborhoods that were allowed to remain is so large that they no longer are part of the same community. This division between walkable areas also means that local shops and stores are less likely to thrive because their lifelines to residents have been severed and the pool of possible customers is now quite small. Because they are small stores that cannot offer as diverse options as large chain outlets people are not willing to travel via the highway to them when major stores are often placed right at highway exits.
       Highways also create major class divisions. Unsurprisingly, they are rarely built in affluent areas, instead they bulldoze straight through areas where residents don't have access to legal representation and may have less time and resources at hand with which to combat decisions made by local government. This means that poorer people are often displaced or forced to live next door to noisy and polluting freeways, which of course aren't catering to them in the first place. I feel like communities that are so auto-centric lose the many benefits of having a more localized populace where you actually know your neighbors, and stores aren't a half-hour drive away. When communities are not so divided and dispersed by roadways there are more opportunities for the local economy and small business owners to thrive.