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Sunday Video: Putting 12 Urban Freeways Out to Pasture

Doug Trumm - April 19, 2026
The former Cheonggyecheon Expressway is now a beautiful linear park. (CityNerd)

By popular demand, Ray Delahanty of CityNerd released a top 12 urban highways that should be slated for removal to improve the cities that surround them. Removing freeways reduces pollution, noise, and the urban heat island effect while improving walkability and unlocking housing and placemaking opportunities. Seoul famously demonstrated this when it removed the Cheonggyecheon Expressway and converted it to a park with a daylighted stream. Freeway removals also can restore tax base that were eroded when highways were plowed through in the first place. Spoiler: Seattle's stretch of I-5 made CityNerd's list.