MOBILITY UNBOUND
Imagine a society where everyone is free to move safely and with self-determination; where everyone flourishes socially, culturally and economically, unrestricted by structural barriers within transportation systems.
Achieving this vision of mobility unbound requires a collaborative approach that is grounded in principles of mobility justice. This framework begins with an understanding of the ways that transportation infrastructure and practices have historically excluded or harmed groups of people, particularly communities of color, in order to heal the harms of the past and build transportation systems that work for all.
Building systems that work for everyone requires that we acknowledge the unjust histories of mobility and economic prosperity in American cities.
A mobility justice approach to transportation planning includes facilitating dialogue, funding the participation of people and community organizations who are directly affected, and establishing partnerships that lead to the shared decision-making that is necessary for meaningful repair.
By taking a mobility justice approach, government agencies and elected officials can advance transportation policies, programs, and projects that bring community-driven visions to life.
Rebuilding Route 29
The Community Connectors project in Trenton, NJ aims to reconnect residents with the Delaware River by mobilizing community members and government decision-makers to rebuild NJ 29 from a limited access state highway to an urban boulevard.
The
Trenton is a small, densely-populated city of 90,000 primarily Black and Hispanic/Latino residents (43% and 45% respectively) [1]. The median household income in Trenton ($39,700) is half that of Mercer County ($85,700), and a third that of Mercer County towns excluding Trenton ($114,000); 55% of residents are low income, and 33% of households lack vehicles (ACS 2021 5-year estimates) [2].
With its Sanctuary City status, it has a growing migrant population. Immigrant communities, primarily Guatemalan, have been associated with the revitalization of commercial corridors.
The project focuses on the downtownTrenton portion of Route 29, a limited-access highway along the Delaware River that runs from Trenton to suburban and rural communities in Mercer and Hunterdon Counties. It includes the New Jersey State Capitol Complex, Trenton’s historic downtown, 70 acres of urban renewal areas that are now primarily State-owned offices and parking lots, and the residential neighborhoods adjacent to downtown and in Trenton’s West Ward.
The
Construction of the Route 29 highway disconnected city residents from water and green spaces. The highway connects the city to suburban and rural communities, but cuts off city residents’ access to the Delaware River and has replaced a local park.
Several factors unique to Trenton have made it especially difficult to address its challenges. Its small size and multiple commuter-centered highways (Route 29, Route 129, Route 1) mean that “driving just a few minutes in any direction gets you to a much nicer place”, as one community member put it, which has made it difficult for the city to capture investment.
Moreover, Trenton is the seat of both the State and Mercer County governments, and a very large portion of Trenton’s land area is owned by the State or County even compared with other capitals (33% of the downtown and 9% citywide). The State thus has an unusually large presence both in land use decisions around the Boulevard project – beyond the typical jurisdictional issues common with highways – and in economic and development decisions in downtown Trenton generally.
The
A proposal to rebuild Route 29 into a boulevard that reconnects the community with the Delaware River has had broad support since 2009, yet momentum has stalled repeatedly. The Community Connectors project aims to mobilize residents and decision-makers at all levels to ensure that the boulevard is prioritized, resourced, and built.
The project will create a grassroots and grasstops campaign to mobilize community members and effectively interface with government decision-makers to take the Route 29 Boulevard project from concept to completion. The Community Connectors team will create and operationalize the infrastructure for this campaign and secure necessary resources, so that the campaign can be sustained after the grant period.
The
Each City Snapshot offers local historical context related to mobility justice. The MOBILITY LEGACIES are organized according to five themes.
These MOBILITY LEGACIES do not provide exhaustive histories of the cities. Rather, they point to harmful policies and decisions and, subsequently, opportunities for repair and reconnection.
