The Tar Creek Superfund site is located in northeastern Oklahoma on Quapaw tribal land and is the site of former zinc and lead mining site. The acid mine drainage from this site has been polluting the local community and watershed for over 50 years and is still toxic despite being a superfund site since 1983. Local community members have been fighting to continue the cleanup of the site despite the slow progress made by the EPA.
In order to alleviate the traffic pressure of the Bosphorus Canal, reduce the potential risks of ships loaded with dangerous materials, and promote the country’s economic development, Istanbul Canal will be built connecting Marama Sea and the Black Sea. However this project will cause insecurity for Russia, upset environmental stability, pollute freshwater resources and deplete land for people's living.
The Trump Wall is an expansion of the Mexico-United States Barrier, built for inhibiting illegal crossing of migrants from South America. The discontinuous wall stretches more than 450 miles on the continent, separating two countries with natural borders and virtual fence. However, not do whether the wall border actually reduce illegal migration is under question, but also there are other concerns with illegal drug trade, environmental influence, private property and the deported immigrants life.
Big dig, or the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T) is a mega-project in Boston, Massachusetts and it’s considered one of the biggest civil engineering projects in USA. It consist of several project tasks, including the depression of Boston’s Central Artery (I-93) and the construction of a 3rd tunnel to Logan Airport under the Boston Harbor. It mainly aims to alleviate the pressure of I-93 traffic.
In an attempt to stabalize energy market and boost domestic energy production, Biden administration decided to push forward the construction of willowtree oil drilling project. However, this approval is a betrayal of Biden's stopping oil and gas drilling compaign promise and raises huge objection from public. The tension also lies within the Alaska residents, some think it would foster racial justice, by creating job opportunities and increasing revenues, while other concerns more about environmental impacts. Last but not the least, there's debate over the environmental consequences of the project itself: will it actually lead to more emission?
High-speed railway is now gaining more and more popularity around the world but USA seems to fall behind China and Europe in this revolution. Lots of reasons like governmental structure and economic funding accounts for this lap. However, California maybe the first in USA to build a mature high-speed railway. This railway will not only bring convenience to people's outing, but also greatly reduce the pollution, alleviating air quality issue in CA, but behind the construction process, the road to the railway is not easy.
Lowndes County in rural Alabama faces inadequate sanitation practices resulting in 90% of community members having failing sewage systems polluting their living spaces. Current policies in place further exacerbate the problem. A hopeful solution to the issue is a USDA fund to help the community replace the current septic tanks.
The Jackson Square Redevelopment Initiative is a community led project to develop an abandoned piece of land with affordable housing and community resources in a minority and income impacted neighborhood in Boston, MA. The land Jackson Square resides on was demolished for an interstate that was never built in the 1970s. Today, the project is one of the largest , and most successful, community driven developments in the country.
Detroit's I-375 has received initial funding towards replacing the freeway with a boulevard to provide safer transportation and increased community support. The I-375 has had historical impacts on downtown Detroit with its construction in the 1950s and 1960s resulting in demolishing predominantly black communities. This proposal led by the State of Michigan and the City of Detroit aims to repair the community, but some have concerns if DEI issues will be effectively addressed.
Philly's Chinatown has been divided by a sunken highway for the past three decades which has resulted in social and economic disconnects in its community. Despite this challenge, community leaders have gained public support for a change and have been granted funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program to reshape the transportation infrastructure for more beneficial use. The project will emphasize community input throughout the planning process.