Dividing LinesDividing Lines

The United States' transportation infrastructure faces significant challenges, with aging highways, deteriorating roads, and unreliable commuter rail systems. In Dividing Lines, scholar and ACLU president Deborah Archer explores the historical and ongoing relationship between race and transportation planning. She argues that before meaningful rebuilding can occur, it's important to consider how racial dynamics have shaped infrastructure decisions from the early twentieth century to today. According to Archer, while the Civil Rights movement and the end of Jim Crow laws in the 1960s marked a major shift in American society, they did not eliminate all forms of segregation. She suggests that in the absence of explicitly discriminatory laws, some public officials and planners used infrastructure as a means of maintaining separation between communities. For example, large roads without pedestrian access might be built between neighborhoods, making movement and connection more difficult. Similarly, highways have at times been routed through lower-income neighborhoods--often historically Black communities--citing factors such as property values, which may reflect past discriminatory practices. In some cases, decisions around where to build sidewalks or connect communities through transit have also raised questions about equity and inclusion. Drawing from a wide range of sources, including interviews with individuals affected by these developments, Archer provides a broad, national perspective--covering cities like Atlanta, Houston, Indianapolis, and New York--on how transportation has intersected with social and racial dynamics. She also analyzes the scope and limitations of existing Civil Rights laws, noting that while they address explicit discrimination, they may be less effective in tackling structural or systemic issues. Ultimately, Archer outlines her vision for a more equitable transportation system and suggests pathways for achieving it.