Erick Guerra
Professor of city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania and transportation planning expert; author of Overbuilt: The High Costs and Low Rewards of U.S. Highway Construction (Island Press, 2025).
Best podcasts with Erick Guerra
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18 snips
Oct 27, 2025 • 1h 2min
Why America Can't Stop Building Highways We Don't Need
Erick Guerra, a regional planning professor and author of "Overbuilt," dives deep into America's obsession with highway construction. He discusses how we've expanded urban highway lanes by 75% since the 1990s despite the Interstate Highway System being 'complete.' Erick highlights the significant influence of engineers on highway routing and funding incentives that drive unnecessary expansions. He also explores the negative impacts on urban safety and land value, advocating for a rethink of our highway-centric approach to city planning.
12 snips
Feb 20, 2026 • 37min
Erick Guerra, "Overbuilt: The High Costs and Low Rewards of US Highway Construction" (Island Press, 2025)
Erick Guerra, a University of Pennsylvania city and regional planning professor and transportation expert, discusses how U.S. highways became overbuilt and why current finance and planning tools keep encouraging widening. He traces historical policy choices, explores funding and evaluation flaws, and highlights alternatives like pricing, changing metrics, and rethinking project selection.
