We need to talk about systemic racism in infrastructure
By Melissa Peneycad
Some would call them walls designed and constructed to divide. Others might liken them to symbols that chronicle insidious ties to systemic racism. I’m not talking about confederate statues or memori- als. I’m talking about actual roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects that have unquestionably exacerbated racial divides. Over the past century, both the U.S. and Canada (and other nations around the world) have designed and built some infrastructure projects that have harmed disadvantaged and impoverished populations. What’s disconcerting is that infrastructure—especially transport infra- structure—is supposed to connect people and provide easier geograph- ic access to all citizens. It should link low-income persons to areas of economic prosperity, thereby reducing inequality and providing access to good-paying jobs. However, historical records show that infrastructure has not always been designed or built with equity or fairness in mind. In some cases, there’s irrefutable evidence that infrastructure has played an egregious role in inflaming racial division and inequality. Whether done overtly or covertly is open for debate. (Something be- yond the scope of this article.) What I intend to highlight here are a few instances where infrastructure has, without question, divided commu- nities along racial and socioeconomic lines. I’ll also examine several promising infrastructure projects that got it right and discuss what the industry can do moving forward. Let’s start by scrutinizing some projects that have hurt minorities and other low income neighborhoods. 8 Mile Road 8 Mile in Detroit, Michigan, made famous by the 2002 movie starring Eminem, is a prime example of how infrastructure can divide commu- nities. 8 Mile is also home to a half-mile-long graffiti-covered concrete barrier known by locals as ‘the wall.’ Erected in 1941, the wall was built to physically divide 8 Mile from an adjacent parcel of land on which a developer wanted to construct a “whites only subdivision.” The wall stands in the 8 Mile area to this day, serving as a reminder of the area’s history, though it no longer functions as a racial barrier. West Baltimore West Baltimore is another city known for being overwhelmingly black and impoverished. It was here that Freddie Gray, a black man, died from a spinal cord injury in 2015 while in police custody. His death ignited weeks of protests throughout Baltimore. It is also home to the infamous
Historic Fourth Ward Park in Atlanta. Photo: HDR
South LA Wetlands Park
“Highway to Nowhere” – a result of “road-bullish governments, local and federal, that made big plans without regard for their immediate hu- man impact.” This six-lane, mile-long road sliced through and sealed off communities in a major American city for ultimately no reason. It’s a blight on the community and represents decades of broken promises for West Baltimore residents. Africaville The story of Africville in Nova Scotia, Canada, can serve as another teachable example of what can go wrong. Africville was a black com- munity whose residents traced their family roots to slaves brought across the Atlantic during the 1700s. For more than 150 years, this community existed on the edge of Halifax and lacked basic essential services such as clean running water, and sewerage systems. Despite the lack of services, many residents were landowners who paid taxes. Also, there was a powerful sense of community inAfricville. Residents stuck together and looked out for each other. In the 1960s, residents in this community were forcibly evicted to make way for the MacKay bridge, a 1.2 kilometer, 4-lane bridge that links the Halifax Peninsula with neighboring Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Sadly, the 8 Mile wall in Detroit, the Highway to Nowhere in West Baltimore, and the MacKay Bridge in Halifax are only a few examples of infrastructure causing or exacerbating the social and racial divide.
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october 2020
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