Urban Renewal in New York and Philadelphia
Urban renewal was a project carried out by the federal government to clear the fast-growing slums in the cities after the Second World War. The decades of growth of slums exhibited growth in crime, poverty in equal measures. New York and Philadelphia were among the American cities that were affected by the slum growth increasing rates of crime and disease (Hunter, 2015). Both towns experienced apartments lying idle as most of the residents were in the slums. This trend forced the federal government to demolish the abandoned apartments and develop modern houses that could reflect the image of a twenty-first-century city.
New York City Urban Renewal
In New York City, urban renewal began in the 1950s and 1960s with a black premier of real estate, Philip Payton, Jr buying apartments and rented to them to the black in a bid to end residential segregation in the city. By 1949, the president signed a National Housing Act that created a federal housing project known as "The Urban Renewal" to replace the nosy and chaotic neighborhoods with more planned communities. This project affected a population of over 300,000 people who were mostly staying in the West 99th Street (Zipp, 2012). The urban renewal project was funded by the federal government but done by private developers. The federal legislation enabled this public-private while local leaders implemented the policies. For instance, the first phase of the project included the loans and two-thirds grants given by the federal government to private developers to acquire land and to clear the existing structures.
Key Players in New York City
Some of the main actors in this project include the then mayor of New York City, William O'Dwyer who believed that the new housing project meant health and happiness while the slums characterized by increased crime and diseases. Another major player was the head of the slum clearance committee, Robert Moses who had the powers to select the companies to be contracted for the development (Gallent & Ciaffi, 2016). The participation and support of the president and mayor boosted the project in that they made people understand the positive intentions of the project (Zipp, 2012). However, the project faced aggressive opposition from the public who felt the political allies awarded the contracts were not eligible. For instance, Moses was accused of selling some buildings to local Democratic operatives at an undesirably small fee and later failed to develop the project.
Philadelphia Urban Renewal
Similar to New York City, Philadelphia experienced the urban renewal project funded by the federal government but constructed by the contracted private developers. One of the leading players in the project was Edmund Bacon, Director of the City Planning Committee who was trusted with talking to the business people, journalists, and the public in explaining the need for that project (Hunter, 2015). Bacon's combative approach was deemed controversial as he did not allow the community to give their view on the matter. He assumed that he knew all that the city wanted and acted directly on their behalf.
Notably, in both cities, the projects incorporated a housing scheme that developed cheaper houses for low-income earners and the population that was displaced during the urban renewal project. A venture between the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and the American Friends Service Committee formed a cooperative society to help the displaced, but the houses were still expensive for some members of the community. It is believed that the displacement problem still exists several decades after the first urban renewal project. However, according to Hunter (2015), despite the various challenges that accompanied urban renewal, the projects were worth undertaking in the two cities. The plans led to a reduction in slum growth, resulting in a reduced crime rate and improved living standards among the residents.
References
Gallent, N., & Ciaffi, D. (2016). Community action and planning: Contexts, drivers and outcomes. Bristol, UK: Policy Press.
Hunter, M. A. (2015). Black citymakers: How the Philadelphia Negro changed urban America. New York: Oxford University Press.
Zipp, S. (2012). Manhattan projects: The rise and fall of urban renewal in cold war New York. New York: Oxford University Press.
