Reflections on the Los Angeles Century Freeway

"'In Our Path' began as a very private response to home and environment,"
writes Jeff Gates at his web site, which traces the development, politics
and changes caused by the building of the Los Angeles Century Freeway
(I-105). Using a combination of photographs, maps, and text, Gates has
created an intellectually coherent and visually interesting web site.
Smartly designed, this site takes advantage of the web medium's
specificity in a way few other sites have.

Gates visited the freeway over a period of fifteen years, photographing
the actual construction as well as the gradual changes to the
surrounding neighborhoods and environment. Images at the site include
aerial photographs (viewable at a variety of focal lengths), portraits
of the changing neighborhoods, and maps. The images are linked in ways
that connect them conceptually to the text and to one another. The
photos are available in series, on their own, or by clicking highlighted
areas of a freeway map. The pictures often depict startling or bizarre
combinations of human activities and the freeway in progress. (One of my
favorites was a photo of the "Run of the Century," a Caltrans sponsored
10K race ON the freeway.)

Perhaps the greatest strength of the site is the elegant way it manages
to weave the history of such a socially and politically intricate
subject–something which could be dry, boring to look at and dreadful to
read. The words and pictures flow nicely and are well integrated. The
text is nicely balanced between concisely summarized historical
background and Gates' personal observations on the changes taking place.
The tone of the writing is never whiny nor conspiratorial. Gates
focuses instead on the incredible complexity of the issues involved,
that is, when huge municipal changes impact the small scale, a
community, or individual lives.