The areas below and around interstate highways are by definition marginal spaces, and there does seem to be a high incidence of marginal public behavior in these areas. Highway interstitial zones are used as residences; overpasses provide good shelter, and highways also often have walled or wooded sections between them and the city.
Strip clubs, sex shops and the like in Providence almost all within two blocks of a highway. This may have to do with discreet access and mobility. Areas around highways are popular places to drink and do drugs in public. Graffiti proliferates around highways, as does illegal dumping. Micro habitats for plants and animals can spring up in untended land adjacent to highways.
