StreetsblogMASS is starting a book club, and for the first title, they'll be reading People Before Highways by Dr. Karilyn Crockett, a Lecturer in Public Policy & Urban Planning at MIT.

Dr. Crockett’s book documents anti-highway activist movements in the Boston region in the 1960s, when unlikely coalitions stopped freeway proposals that would have demolished beloved neighborhoods and caused disproportionate harm to communities of color.

As Massachusetts struggles to reform its transportation systems in order to address racial inequities and the climate emergency, what lessons can be learned from a bellwether environmental victory from half a century ago?

StreetsblogMASS editor Christian MilNeil will host an online discussion with the author in June. To participate:

1. Get a copy of the book! You can support a local bookstore by ordering directly from Frugal Bookstore (Nubian Square) or Trident Booksellers (Back Bay); or use bookshop.org to order from Papercuts (JP), Brookline Booksmith (Coolidge Corner), MIT Press (Kendall Square), or Harvard Bookstore (Harvard Square); or call another local bookstore near you to order. If cost is an issue, UMass Press is offering free downloads of the e-book for a limited time. You can also order directly from the publisher and use the promo code S773 for a 30% discount. Please note: If you ship via Media Mail, allow about 7 days from order to arrival at your door.
2. RSVP for the online discussion – the event is free, but a suggested donation of $20 will help support the ongoing journalism of StreetsblogMASS.
3. As the event approaches, you'll be sent a link to the online event and instructions for how you can participate in the discussion.

To register please click here.