Transportation Infrastructure Exacerbates Racial Inequality

Deborah N. Archer, President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Margaret B. Hoppin Professor of Law at NYU Law, delivered a lecture at Georgetown University Law Center, highlighting the significant impact of transportation infrastructure on racial inequality. Archer's research reveals that the design of highways, roads, and public transportation networks has contributed to the exacerbation of segregation and inequality. She emphasized that transportation systems play a critical role in shaping who feels like they belong and who has access to opportunities.

Key Takeaways:

• Archer's research found that transportation infrastructure has been designed to limit Black residents' mobility and maintain segregation, particularly in cities like Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia.
• In Birmingham, the racial zoning boundaries were mirrored in the highway design, leading to the destruction and uprooting of the Black community.
• Archer noted that Atlanta's traffic patterns were rerouted to make it difficult for Black residents to access white areas, using one-way streets to restrict movement between communities.
• A study in Atlanta revealed that traffic challenges are due in part to the city's one-way streets, which are predominantly traveling in the same direction.
• In Ohio, the suburb of Beaver Creek refused to build public bus stops from the urban area of Dayton, forcing workers and shoppers to walk two miles without sidewalks or traffic calming measures.
• Archer called for transportation policymakers to replace aging infrastructure in ways that reverse the legacy of exclusion, saying, "We built our way into this crisis. We have to build our way out of this crisis."
• Archer's research and conclusions can be found in her book, "Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality."

Statistics:

• Half of the two-mile stretch in Ohio between Dayton and Beaver Creek had no sidewalk, no traffic calming measures, and a highway overpass with no sidewalks or crosswalks.
• Archer's study revealed that transportation infrastructure has been intentionally designed to maintain racial segregation and inequality.
• According to Archer, the consequences of this legacy of exclusion can be reversed by rebuilding transportation infrastructure in ways that connect communities and provide access to opportunities.

Sources:

• "ACLU and NYU Law's Deborah N. Archer Draws Connections Between Transportation Infrastructure and Racial Inequality," Georgetown University Law Center, Oct. 27, 2025.
• "Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality," Deborah N. Archer.
• (https://youtu.be/RAkO0Tm8NVE)