What if Milwaukee’s downtown transportation system reflected the city we are today?
Library
Check out reflections, renderings, and reports related to WisDOT's Lake Interchange Study and freeway projects in general.
The UWM 794 Urban Design Seminar explored the long-term potential – If I-794 is removed, What’s Possible? Architecture and urban planning students envision what’s possible, including the potential for significant annual tax revenue – new development opportunities, public spaces, transit upgrades, and stronger street connections between downtown and the Historic Third Ward. Dynamic cities and neighborhoods thrive through the integration of diverse uses, scales, cultures, and populations. Strategies such as placemaking, mixed-use development, and varied densities can foster vibrant activity centers, enrich the urban experience, strengthen existing downtown districts, and enhance the overall value of cities.
Read the preliminary findings from the first of three Walk & Roll 794 events. They route covered a western segment of I-794, adjacent to the Marquette Interchange. The findings from this reflect observations taken on November 18th at 12pm.
Urban planner Larry Witzling, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee,
released a study in collaborate with Rethink 794 estimating that removal of the of I-794 through Downtown has the potential over 30 years to generate $475 million in property taxes, $3 billion in downtown disposable income, $60 million in city sales tax and the creation of 3,000+ new housing units.
Larry Witzling's blog post arguing that removal and replacement of I-794 is an opportunity to unlock economic value and re-center the downtown around people, not cars. -- "As a Boomer, I was born into the wonder of freeways. As an architect, I still view freeways as the awesome Roman aqueducts of our time. But as a Milwaukee resident since 1972, I have outgrown my Boomer freeway crush. Today, my generation must respond to changing values for the next generations and plan our city for their future. This matters more than ever, as we design the future of I-794."
Read his other blog posts here
This post from a reddit user calls into question the validity of the DMP study by CARW on the economic impact of I-794's removal. The post author also urges readers to read it for themselves to examine the limitations of the study.