Research & Reports
The following research and reports were initiated to strengthen Caltrans' understanding of our history and impact on communities. These resources inform current and future projects, plans, processes, and policies to fulfill the Department's value of eliminating disparities while improving outcomes for all.
Research
Authors: Loukaitou-Sideris, Anastasia; Handy, Susan L; Ong, Paul M.; Barajas, Jesus M.; Wasserman, Jacob L; Pech, Chhandara; Sanchez, Juan Carlos Garcia; Ramirez, Andres F; Jain, Aakansha; Proussaloglou, Emmanuel; Nguyen, Andrea; Turner, Katherine; Fitzgibbon, Abigail; Kaeppelin, Francois; Ramirez, Felipe; Arenas, Marc.
National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST); University of California, Davis, Institute of Transportation Studies.
This project uses empirical research to not only understand but also quantify and describe in detail the historical impacts of freeways on communities of color in four California cities and areas: Pasadena, Pacoima, Sacramento, and San José. In these neighborhoods, freeways displaced many residents, significantly harmed those that remained, and left communities divided and depleted. The four cases differ in notable ways, but they share a disproportionate impact of freeway construction on communities of color. Massive roadway construction complemented other destructive governmental actions such as urban renewal and redlining. Freeways and suburbanization were key components in the creation of a spatial mismatch between jobs and housing for people of color, with few transportation options to overcome it.
Freeways, Redlining & Racism; A History of Pasadena and Its Freeways in the 20th Century
Created by the UCLA institute of Transportation studies, this story map focuses on one of the four case studies included in Implications of Freeway Siting in California.
Authors: Deakin, Elizabeth; Munoz, Jasmin; Son, Daisy.
University of California, Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies Technology Transfer Program.
The objectives of this study were to formulate policies and practices that can be used to identify place names that have derogatory or racist linkages and provide recommendations on how to rename or remove harmful names and monuments in the California transportation right of way.
Reports
Caltrans conducted the 2022 Statewide Equity Listening Sessions in partnership with the California Transportation Commission (CTC), California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), and ICF International, Inc. (ICF). The listening sessions were designed to hear from communities that have been historically marginalized in the planning, funding, and delivery of transportation infrastructure. The vision for these sessions was to allow people to share their personal stories about individual and community impacts created by the transportation system. As a result, ICF produced an actionable report, featuring findings and recommendations from the six listening sessions. This report will be used to guide Caltrans, CTC, and CalSTA in our efforts to further enhance organizational structures around equity, as well as build relationships that will inform how State transportation agencies can improve engagement with communities statewide.