A mini-symposium from the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies The automobile-dominated transportation system has historically and disproportionately harmed low-income communities and communities of color, dividing neighborhoods, increasing exposure to traffic and noise pollution, and contributing to long-term health and economic disparities. This virtual mini-symposium explores how innovative, justice-focused approaches to freeway removal can repair these harms, reconnect communities, and create more equitable and sustainable urban environments, issues highly relevant to transportation planning, policy, and engineering. The mini-symposium features two panels:
Panel 1: Impacts and Inequities of Freeway Construction
This panel examines the social, environmental, and health impacts of freeway construction, with a focus on racial-ethnic disparities in exposure to traffic-related air pollution, displacement, and community severance. Panelists will discuss how transportation planning and infrastructure policies have marginalized communities of color and created persistent inequities.
- Adam Paul Susaneck, AECOM/Segregation By Design
- Demetria Murphy, Estolano Advisors
- Amy Castaneda, Environmental Health Coalition
- Dilia Ortega, Communities for a Better Environment
Panel 2: Solutions and Opportunities in Freeway Removal
The second panel explores innovative strategies to reimagine urban transportation. Panelists will discuss freeway removal, boulevard replacement, and investments in public transit and active transportation as tools to reconnect communities, reduce environmental harm, and promote transportation equity. Case studies, including California examples, will highlight planning, policy, and design strategies to advance environmental justice.
- Dr. Ben Crowther, America Walks
- Randolph Belle, Outreach Lead for Vision 980
- Yesenia Perez, Senior Program Manager for Climate Equity, The Greenlining Institute
Why Attend
Attendees will gain insights into both the systemic challenges posed by freeway construction and the transformative potential of equity-driven transportation planning that prioritizes equity, environmental justice, and community well-being. The mini-symposium is designed to foster dialogue between researchers, students, and policymakers on practical and innovative solutions for more just and sustainable transportation systems.
Speakers
Amy Castañeda
Associate Director of Policy at the Environmental Health CoalitionAs a product of the South Bay in San Diego County, Amy Castañeda is passionate about uplifting the issues that disproportionately impact underserved communities. Through her work, she is committed to continuing to build the next generation of community organizers.
Amy studied Public Policy & Public Health at Arizona State University. Through her work as a community organizer, Amy has worked on various local, state, and federal political campaigns. Before joining Environmental Health Coalition, Amy worked for the First Supervisorial District at the County of San Diego where she served as a policy advisor & small business liaison overseeing issues related to homelessness, public safety, small business stimulus grant, behavioral health and reproductive health. Amy also served as Campaign Manager for a state assembly race in her hometown. She is an experienced campaign manager that focuses on leveraging a grassroots strategy to consistently garner the support of labor organizations, and environmental justice organizations. Prior to her role as campaign manager, Amy was a community organizer at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest where she helped bridge the need for reproductive health in the South Bay community and established the first-ever Planned Parenthood Generation Action club in two South Bay high schools.
On her free time Amy likes to travel, go on hikes, bake, and spend time with her dog Mariposa.
Dilia Ortega
Southern California Programs Co-DirectorDilia Ortega is the Southern California Programs Co-Director at Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), where she advances environmental justice and equitable transportation outcomes. Raised in Southeast Los Angeles, she brings a lived understanding of industrial pollution shaped by her family’s work and proximity to the City of Vernon. She spent seven years at CBE as a Community Organizer, leading park equity efforts and the campaign to stop the I-710 South freeway widening. She holds a BA in History from Williams College and a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA.
Yesenia Perez
Climate Equity Senior Program Manager at The Greenlining InstituteYesenia Perez is a policy advocate and Senior Program Manager for Climate Equity focused on systems change in climate resilience and clean mobility. She works with public agencies and community partners to shift how climate and infrastructure policies are designed, funded, and implemented to better serve communities of color. Her background spans strategic consulting, environmental education, and climate equity research. She holds a B.S. in Global Environmental Policy from UC Berkeley.