Project Summary
Traffic violence is a serious issue; 40,000 people were killed in car crashes in the US in 2016. Cities are turning to Vision Zero to make streets safer. Vision Zero plans in the United States have traditionally been organized around a set of principles known as the “Three E’s”: engineering (of streets), education (of road users), and enforcement (of traffic laws). The last prong, enforcement, has become controversial in the Black Lives Matter era. People of color are disproportionately likely to be pulled over while driving, but planners continue to include traffic enforcement in Vision Zero plans. For this project, I will interrogate the planning process through case studies of Vision Zero cities, interviewing planners, policy makers, and community members to address the following question: “How have Vision Zero planning efforts addressed the relationship between traffic enforcement and communities of color?” I believe that by illuminating the conflicts that can arise as these plans are created, I can help planners be better prepared to address the issue of racial justice and traffic enforcement.
