When Congress first approved the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, few could have predicted the impact it would have on communities of color across the country. For the next several decades, highways and interstate routes were planned and constructed through and away from cities- often cutting right through these neighborhoods.
This happened in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Chicago, Minneapolis, and right here in Akron.
This city’s innerbelt project was the subject of the latest stop on the “Sound of Ideas Community Tour.”
The “Sound of Ideas” team brought together former residents, community voices, researchers, and city officials to talk about the history of the innerbelt and what the future holds. It all took place at the Knight Stage at the Akron Civic Theater.
Planning for that roadway began around 1960. The aim was to service the people of Greater Akron, making it easier to get in and out of Downtown.
Hundreds of homes and businesses were bought – then demolished to make room for the highway, displacing primarily Black families. But beyond homes and businesses, an entire community was destroyed, and generations of wealth were impacted.
The innerbelt that was planned and constructed didn’t carry the amount of traffic that was originally projected. So now, roughly 1 mile of the roadway was decommissioned in 2016 and this 30-acre piece of land sits vacant and overgrown.
The City of Akron is now attempting to address the historic wrongs of the innerbelt’s construction through the Reconnecting Our Community Initiative. This includes plans to reimagine the vacant land, tell the stories of former residents, and keep those residents involved in the revitalization process.
Nationally renowned designed firms have been discussing what to do with the decommissioned roadway and surrounding areas. Over the next months and years, plans will be formulated and capital will be raised to begin the project.
GUESTS:
- Annmarie Ford, Akron Resident; Advisory Group Member
- Roger Riddle, Freelance Producer, Reconnecting Our Community
- Theron Brown, Jazz Musician; Founder, Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival
- Rose Vance-Grom, Graduate Student, The University of Akron
- Esther Thomas, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, The City of Akron
- Kyle Julien, Director of Planning, The City of Akron
- Elizabeth Ellis, Senior Urban Designer, Kent State University Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative
