If you are revitalizing infrastructure, and as a small fraction of that investment you can correct engineering decisions that perpetrate immense tragic societal ills, you do it both morally and fiscally. Rebuilding cities to better suit the understood needs of their populations every few generations is a hallmark of civilizations that haven’t collapsed. If rerouting certain roads reduces hospitalization and incarceration in densely populated areas, spend big now so those savings can be realized going forward all the time until you need to do it again.
If you are hiring to revitalize infrastructure, you are managing streams of wealth and income to get it done. If you recognize systemic factors leading to de facto racial preferences in contracting, making it you policy to counteract that in your contracting choices is both good politics and good policy.
Austerity, denial of racism, sexism, insurrection, and anti-vaccine propaganda are all one great circle under Koch.
If one believes in true equality, let the best bid win---don't base it on the race of the bidder, simply because decisions based upon race are inherently racist.
I have no issues with how the roads are built as far as where they go, or how the local neighborhoods that will be effected are compensated for their inconveniences---as traditionally Eminent Domain comes into play.
How.were.the communities and neighborhoods divided by the interstates in the first place compensated for their inconvenience? The owners of the property were compensated, but the neighborhood?
Werent the business owners, landlords or private home owners compensated under eminent domain?
How would renters be compensated?
You’re missing the point.
Across the nation highways were purposefully used to bisect thriving neighborhoods and communities and in essence destroy the community. Businesses fled along with jobs and services.
How to create blight 101.
Was it purposeful or, they just didn't give a fuck?
Ignorance, I think.
Truly. Urban Cities, Model Cities, Interstate Highway... all of these were well-intentioned with readily identifiable mistakes in hindsight.
At the time there were chants such as:
“Urban Renewal Means Negro Removal”
One of the many reasons people resent gentrification