Effects of a grand governmental scheme

Once upon a time, long ago, cities and neighborhoods grew and changed with very little control. Each city, indeed each neighborhood, developed in that mysterious manner unique to a free market. Such free growth resulted in hordes of small businesses and uniquely varied housing choices. In Minneapolis, as in most cities, neighborhoods grew into nearly self-sufficient communities, where residents lived, were employed, and shopped. Little travel was needed, because almost all of what one needed for a normal life was available within walking distance. Residents walked to work, shopped in neighborhood stores, and found their daily entertainment without leaving the area.

Such neighborhoods didn't have precise borders... they were informal... and each developed its own unique personality. As it was in other cities, neighborhoods included small bakeries, small restaurants, hardware stores, movie theatres, and small grocery stores.

What happened? The freeways came. The federal government decided to offer taxpayer money for something akin to Germany's autobahn, created by Hitler for moving troops quickly. Can you remember seeing troop convoys on an interstate freeway? Well... to be fair... all the troops are now in foreign countries.

The lure of "free" money was, naturally, irresistible to the states. For Minnesota's part of Interstate 35, it was decided to split 35, aiming one leg to Minneapolis and the other to St. Paul. As is still true, everyone wanted the new freeways to go where they wanted to go, but not through their neighborhood. It was a huge case of NIMBY (not in my back yard) and the poor folks just as naturally lost. Those with organized political pull got their wishes, and those without pull were left wondering where the hell to go.

In 1963, Minneapolis started removing a block-wide swath of homes in South Minneapolis. Forty-five blocks, each containing about 20 homes, were destroyed, replaced by a great canyon and walled off with sound barriers. Just on the south side of Minneapolis, 22 streets that once connected neighborhoods were closed. The result, over time, was to divide the south side of the city into two very distinct areas. Not coincidentally, that divide caused a separation by race... white on the west, non-white on the east. The physical separation fueled more racial separation. The undesirability of having property facing the sound barriers and freeway noise, created a corridor of minority dwellings that is narrow on the west side, and broad on the east side. Each side essentially turned away from the other. By current "neighborhood" definitions, there are 18 neighborhoods defined by 35W, and not one that crosses over the barrier created by the freeway.

Thus began the gradual deterioration of neighborhoods. People with cars naturally took to driving farther and faster on the new freeways. Gradually, malls and big-box stores appeared in suburbs, catering to the new freeway motorists. Neighborhood stores couldn't compete. Almost all of the little neighborhood shopping areas petered out. With no stores left to walk to, driving to shop became a necessity, and, once driving, why not drive to more distant shopping "destinations"? There had been neighborhoods that were poor but were still neighborhoods with pride and cohesion. Construction of the freeways destroyed some completely, and stressed others into urban ghettos. Sleepy suburbs grew at amazing rates, and more people began moving to where the available shopping was, leaving the city behind.

It wasn't just the freeways now causing the city to suffer. In the 60's Minneapolis tore down the whole east half (the poor, ugly half) of the downtown area. It was becoming crystal clear that if you were middle income or lower, the city just didn't want you around. Many of those who could afford to escape did so, those who couldn't, became more and more trapped in an unfriendly, inconvenient city run by those with money and political pull.

Ever since then, Minneapolis has been "revitalizing" neighborhoods, or as the current mayor would put it, "restoring the fabric" of the city. In May 1989 an Implementation Committee proposed a revitalization program that would "protect" fundamentally sound neighborhoods, "revitalize" those showing signs of decline and "redirect" those with extensive problems.

Now many complain about the environmental damage from freeways filled with cars, and others complain about urban sprawl. Area residents are driving farther than ever to do no more than they used to... because they can, and because most of what used to be nearby is gone. Freeways can't be expanded to eliminate congestion, maintenance costs increase with the age of the freeways, so repairs are stalled and neglected... even to the point of a deadly bridge collapse.

Before freeways, most people got plenty of exercise walking to work and shop. Now, exercise is an extra planned activity, if anything. Owning a durable car, license, insurance, maintenance and spending a lot of fuel have become a virtual necessity, driving up the minimum cost of living substantially.

Depending on your age, you may not even be able to imagine life without freeways. A truly nutty Federal government scheme changed life all across the country, and created problems that no amount of future investment will solve. Grand governmental schemes inevitably have drastic unintended consequences, and the interstate freeway system hasn't been an exception.