Freeways are a scourge on the urban fabric, and the communities urban freeways run through usually do not see any of the benefits proponents claim will come with the new infrastructure. They produce more traffic, break up neighborhoods, degrade the surrounding environment, and displace existing communities.

Plus, they make cities more reliant on automobility, which is not only terrible for the environment but also negatively impacts traffic for the entire metropolitan area. This topic hits close to home for just about any North American city.

The “Cities:Skylines - Power, Politics & Planning” video from Youtuber donoteat01 offers a crash course in the destructive nature of urban freeways. In it, the narrator creates a hypothetical for the construction of an urban freeway similar to many of the unbuilt freeways planned for Washington, DC. It is part of a series illustrating urban issues using the popular PC game Cities: Skylines, along with a hefty dose of sardonic commentary.

Real-world examples used in the video include freeway revolts in Washington, DC and the negative impacts of US-40 in Baltimore. What are your thoughts on urban freeways and how they are portrayed in this video?