Resources
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.
Check out the following ArcGIS Story Maps:
Freeways, Redlining & Racism: A History of Pasadena and Its Freeways in the 20th Century
Further Implications of Freeway Siting in California: Freeway Development and Communities of Color in Colton, Fresno, and San Diego (2025)
Authors: Paul M. Ong, Chhandara Pech, Jacob L. Wasserman, Andres F. Ramirez, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Leila Ullmann, Megan Riley
This study examines the consequences of freeway construction on neighborhoods of color across California, with a focus on socioeconomic changes, route selection, community reactions and resistance, and the disruptions to residents, businesses, and other assets. Expanding on three prior case studies conducted by the research team, this study incorporates three additional case studies: South Colton, West Fresno, and City Heights in San Diego.
Check out the following ArcGIS Story Maps:
Dividing Lines: How Route 99 Reshaped Fresno’s Immigrant Communities and Communities of Color
The Fight for Teralta Park: The history behind state Route 15 and California’s first freeway cap
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.
Learn More | Renaming and Removal of Harmful Names and Monuments (PDF)
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.
Learn More | Findings from the California Transportation Equity Listening Sessions (PDF)