SPECIAL: Freeway Exit
The War on Cars
The War on Cars, LLC
4.9 • 937 Ratings
🗓️ 11 July 2023
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This is a special presentation of the first episode of Freeway Exit, a six-part series produced by award-winning reporter Andrew Bowen of KPBS Public Media in San Diego, California. Freeway Exit reveals the mostly forgotten history of how Southern California’s urban freeway network was built. It tells the story of the citizens and public servants who fought these projects and how decades after that network was finished, some communities are still working to heal the wounds that freeways left behind. While Freeway Exit focuses specifically on the urban highways of Southern California, the story that Andrew tells is universal: Freeways aren’t free. We pay for them in all kinds of ways — with our tax dollars, our time, our environment and our health. In the 20th century we planned, designed, and built highways through the middle of our cities. In the 21st century we can and must plan, design, and build something else better in their place.
Find all six episodes of Freeway Exit right here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Meet reporter Andrew Bowen of KPBS. You can also find him on Mastodon and Twitter.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I wore on cars listeners we have something special for you this week. What you're about |
| 0:12.2 | to hear is the first episode of a six-part |
| 0:14.2 | series called Freeway Exit. Produced by Andrew Bowen of K-PBS Public Media in |
| 0:19.2 | San Diego, California, Freeway Exit is about the past, present, and future of the American highway. |
| 0:26.0 | If you were born after 1960, then the chances are you have no memory of highways being slashed through the heart of your city. This is simply the world |
| 0:34.3 | you were born into. Freeway exit tells the story of how our freeways were built, |
| 0:38.7 | the impact they had on urban neighborhoods, and the citizens, communities, and public servants who |
| 0:44.7 | rose up to fight these projects and sometimes even one. |
| 0:49.1 | Freeway exit reminds us that freeways aren't free. |
| 0:51.7 | We pay for them in all kinds of ways, |
| 0:53.8 | with our tax dollars, our time, our environment, and our health. |
| 0:58.1 | And that the highways running through our cities |
| 1:00.6 | aren't some immutable force of nature. |
| 1:03.0 | We plan design and built urban freeways. |
| 1:05.4 | We can plan, design, and build something else in their place. |
| 1:09.0 | This is a beautifully produced podcast. |
| 1:11.6 | Andrew and the team at |
| 1:12.6 | K. P.S. did a great job on it. And if you enjoy the |
| 1:16.0 | war on cars, we think you'll really like it. So here, without |
| 1:20.3 | further ado, episode one, a freeway exit from K-PBS. |
| 1:26.0 | Subscribe and listen to the whole thing. It's a few hours before sundown, and I'm walking through a network of hiking trails along the floor of one of San Diego's urban canyons. |
| 1:48.7 | This canyon is part of Balboa Park, which is referred to as the city's crown jewel, 1,200 acres of open space, gardens, |
... |
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