Ten Across

The Interstate 10 corridor may provide the most compelling window on the future of the U.S., one which presents the challenges of the 21st century in the highest relief. This singular transect strings together the most pressing societal, economic, political, urban, and environmental issues of our time. As such, it offers a living observatory for understanding the present condition and the creation of new narratives for the future. Ten Across (10X) frames the “emergent” and most rapidly expanding portion of the nation, a uniquely American landscape shaped by 20th century technologies (particularly the automobile), demographic change, and delicate ecosystems profoundly transformed by human intervention. The project is knowingly situated in time between one of the most frequently-cited demonstrations of long-range federal investment (the National Interstate and Defensive Highways Act of 1956) and a period of narrowing consensus and optimism. 10X spans the three most populous states (CA, TX, FL) and three of the five largest cities. It intersects with critical ports, energy infrastructure, immigrant populations, and the site of the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina. This singular east-west axis demonstrates in living detail the most urgent American and global issues of the 21st century: water, energy, climate change, income disparity, public health, border security, and globalization, among others. 10X is a platform for reviewing past decision-making, unstable present conditions, and the “course corrections” required to achieve a more sustainable and inclusive society. By bringing this region into sharp focus through close readings of physical, social, economic, and cultural constructs, 10X will serve as a forum for lessons and changes leading to a more sustainable and inclusive future.