Planned Destruction

With Good Reason

It’s difficult to imagine that the highway was someone’s home. But it was. LaToya S. Gray says a once thriving Richmond neighborhood known as the Harlem of the South fell victim to intentionally destructive city planners. And: You don’t have to look far to connect racial inequities to environmental issues. Jeremy Hoffman says that many formerly redlined neighborhoods experience up to 16 degree hotter days in the summer than green lined neighborhoods within walking distance. Later in the show: How far do you have to travel to get to a park? Not a patch of grass, but a real park -- with shade, amenities and things to do. Dorothy Ibes says American parks are underutilized, and we’ve got to step it up. Aside from jumping in a pool, trees are our best bet to cool summer heat. Pamela Grothe says we have to be intentional about putting trees in the right places.