Local Economy
Highway expansion hurts local businesses and undermines downtown redevelopment. It drains wealth from neighborhoods, creates dead zones, and fuels suburban sprawl. Downtown needs more people, not more lanes. Read below to learn how walkable, vibrant streets bring people and spending back to local businesses.
Hurt local businesses
Walkable, bikeable streets are proven to boost local businesses.
​
-
Higher sales: Studies show that businesses in walkable areas generate more revenue per square foot than those in car-dependent areas.
​
-
Frequent visits: People who walk or bike to businesses visit more often and spend more over time than those who drive.
​
-
Tourism and appeal: Vibrant, walkable streets attract visitors, further boosting local spending.
​
-
Highway impact: Bigger highways move people and spending away from downtown and make the area less walkable, making it harder for local businesses to thrive.
​​
70% increase in retail sales after pedestrianization
​
Lodi, CA
30% increase in retail sales after walkability improvements
​
Learn more:
Hinder downtown revitalization
Downtown's decline
-
​Highways pulled people and businesses away, leaving empty storefronts and struggling neighborhoods.
-
Decades later urban renewal leveled buildings making space for wider roads and parking lots.
-
Decades of efforts to revitalize downtown have failed to address this root cause, leading instead to cycles of up-and-downs without real progress.
​
​Current revitalization efforts
-
The city once again is trying out heroic efforts: the Rail Trail, a TIF district, and more
-
These are doomed to fail again in revitalizing downtown because they ignore the root cause of its decline
-
Expanding the highway threatens to repeat the same mistakes, all but guaranteeing there is no downtown revitalization in our lifetime. ​
​
Read more:
Further sprawl and tax base erosion
-
Suburban sprawl: the highways enable people and spending to move farther out.
-
Tax base erosion: As businesses and residents relocate to places like Rio Rancho, Albuquerque loses the tax revenue needed to maintain streets, public spaces, and services.
-
Repeat: Expanding the highway will continue this cycle, enabling continued sprawl and downtown decline.
Read more:
Lower property values and investments
Highways reduce surrounding property values and discourage new investment, particularly in downtown areas.
​
-
Depressed property values: Research shows that proximity to highways can lower property values due to noise, pollution, and reduced walkability.
-
Dead zones: Over time, once-thriving neighborhoods transform into parking lots, vacant land, and heavy commercial uses like hospitals and warehouses. This happened to the neighborhoods adjacent to I-25 as can be seen from historical aerial pictures.
-
Disinvestment in downtown: Businesses and developers are less likely to invest in areas dominated by high-speed roads and parking lots.
-
Opportunity cost: Instead of expanding highways, investing in safe streets and mixed-use development would increase property values and generate more tax revenue.
1961​​
2018