This is part of a continuing series that covers the history of urban renewal in Downtown Louisville. Here are links to see the previous three articles: Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3.
Implications on Urban Form and Health
All the history discussed above in the previous parts of this series is not comprehensive, there is quite a bit more to explore such as the Galleria project, but there is a book's worth of information on the subject and we have to stop somewhere. Regardless, many of the largest components of urban renewal in downtown Louisville were at least mentioned in this series and these urban renewal areas resulted in a profound transformation of downtown’s urban form over the past century.
The lasting effects of these urban renewal programs on our downtown are numerous. Around 35% of downtown was within the bounds of an urban renewal area, and some urban renewal/slum clearing work still took place outside of those borders. Thousands of buildings were destroyed, and thousands of families were displaced. Entire neighborhood centers ended up getting demolished, sometimes for new development that would never even occur.
The most obvious change on downtown's urban form wrought by urban renewal was the extension of the interstate system into downtown via I-64 and I-65. Earlier, it was mentioned how these extensions required the displacement of around 1000 families in the downtown area and demolition of hundreds of buildings. This disruption to social networks can lead to social isolation and a breakdown in support systems. Beyond the emotional toll such displacement can cause, similar expressways have been shown to cause billions in economic damage through lost property taxes. The negative effects were enough for the Congress of New Urbanism to designate the riverfront I-64 as a “freeway without a future” in 2019.
The location of I-64 along the riverfront proposes its own series of urban design problems. The expressway functionally cuts off downtown from the waterfront, requiring pedestrians to walk under a dark bed of concrete in order to get to the water. This, along with the river itself, create a sort of double-edge that can discourage walking and alternative transportation.
Our previous field notes post on car harm in Louisville covers many of the health consequences of being in proximity to urban freeways. Noise pollution from cars can cause tinnitus, hearing loss, and cognitive issues. Those within 1000 or so feet of an expressway can inhale microplastics, particulate matter, and heavy metals from vehicles. This can be linked to a wide variety of cognitive, cardiovascular, respiratory and other illnesses that cause lifelong health problems. The medical center constructed under the guise of urban renewal is located directly next to I-65, along with important facilities such as schools and senior care.
Urban renewal generally had a big fixation on parking lots and garages. Many of the parking lots that now exists downtown came as a result of urban renewal, leading to surface parking now taking up around 21% of its land area. Many of these lots are concentrated in the east and west urban renewal areas, with parking taking up 18% and 22% of their land area respectively. These numbers do not include the space taken up by parking garages or street parking. The large number of these lots ends up creating a strong urban heat island effect. A 2019 study indicated that Louisville had the fastest growing urban heat island in the country, although we may not be in the #1 spot any longer. These lots can also worsen flooding during extreme rain events. All of this makes this quote by the Planning and Zoning Commissioner from the first part of this series quite ironic:
It is our existing duty now to redesign the existing development and to remodel our older residential sections, or we will have a business district surrounded by parking lots or vacant spaces
Destruction of existing buildings was often justified in the name of public health. The old buildings were dilapidated or blighted, so resident health would be improved if they were replaced with new structures. This is true to some extent, but many of these housing projects would end up declining over time and face many of the issues they were supposedly built to solve. The prime example in Louisville would be Dosker Manor, which has dealt with a litany of maintenance issues, pest control problems, and mold.
The high number of surface lots also create a significant barrier to walkability. In his book Walkable City, Jeff Speck presents a general theory of walkability where in order for a walk to be favored over other transportation methods, it must meet four criteria: the walk must be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting. These criteria are somewhat subjective, but a density of surface lots can safely be considered as non-interesting, non-comfortable due to the urban heat island, often useless due to lack of homes and businesses, and less safe due to an increase in vehicle conflict points and a lack of eyes on the street.
Looking to the Future
While these areas have a tumultuous past, there are some positive changes coming in the future that will begin to address the changes to urban form that was brought on by urban renewal. The city is looking to transform Ninth Street and Broadway into seams rather than barriers, making them into more complete streets. The Broadway project may include the city’s first dedicated bus lanes.
A good amount of development is also expected to occur in the renewal areas, hopefully filling the asphalt void that exists in many parts of them. In the western area, LDG Development is planning to build an affordability-focused apartment complex at the former Greyhound terminal site. Beecher Terrace has been completely rebuilt, with the last phase currently under construction. Louisville Gardens, currently a government storage site, is expected to be converted into a soundstage for movie and television production. Mud Lot, one of the largest surface lots downtown, will be redeveloped. The Trager MicroForest Project, and the Envirome Institute’s A New Vision of Health Campus will also be located right on the edge of this area.
The eastern renewal area is still very much a medical hub for the city. It is now home to the LOUMED district, which is working on some great projects such as a new park called LOUMED Commons and a redesign of Chestnut Street. Dosker Manor has long faced maintenance issues, and will be demolished in 2026 and rebuilt by LDG Development. The University of Louisville is also currently in the midst of expanding their hospital, and is planning to soon build a new “Health Sciences Simulation Center and Collaboration Hub” one block away from the new expansion. The area will also likely benefit from the rapid development going on in NuLu, with some residential and mixed-use developments, such as The Prestonian and NuLu Yard falling within its bounds.
On the riverfront, we likely won’t see I-64 get torn out any time soon. Despite this, some positive change is coming. The Belvedere, downtown's largest public space outside of Waterfront park, will soon be redesigned. The former home of ReSurfaced on Main Street along with the lots that were once going to be Museum Plaza are also expected to be redeveloped. The scars of urban renewal are not going to be easy to heal, but momentum is moving in a positive direction.
.png){kind=logo}
