SUN-B04: Highways Reimagined: Reconnecting Communities & Repairing the Past

Sunday, October 12, 2025

2:00 PM – 3:15 PM CT

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

Speaker(s)

Cindy Zerger, ASLA, PLA

Urban Design Practice Lead
Toole Design
San Rafael, California
Sara Zewde, ASLA

Founding Principal & Assistant Professor of Practice
Studio Zewde & Harvard GSD
New York, New York
Ian M. Lockwood, PE

Livable Transportation Engineer
Toole Design Group, LLC
Sliver Spring, Maryland

Highways were originally intended to connect communities, yet their implementation decimated many, often targeting the most vulnerable. Today, efforts to reimagine these spaces are gaining momentum. Learn how landscape architects play a critical role in redesigning highway corridors and shaping equitable, connected, and resilient communities.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand the original intent of the U.S. highway system and how urban highways became tools of displacement and environmental harm.
Explore the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in highway reimagining projects, with a focus on landscape architects’ role.
Identify common themes and unique contextual factors across various highway reimagining case studies.
Learn strategies to sustain design vision and public engagement over long project horizons and complex multi-jurisdictional landscapes.