Urban Renewal
‘Reconnecting Communities’ Could Fund Highway Expansions
Applications to the program reveal a pattern of state agencies requesting funds for projects that perpetuate car-centric development with only nominal equity components.
What Is Redevelopment?
Redevelopment includes all development projects that build new structures and land uses on a previously developed site. Understanding the nuances of redevelopment is critical for understanding the ways cities and communities change.
Boston's New Mayor Wants to End Old Urban Renewal Districts
Michelle Wu, Boston's new mayor, is ready to finally end the government powers that displaced communities in the mid-20th century.
Santa Monica Offers Affordable Housing to Residents Displaced by Freeway Construction
A new program seeks to make restitution for the damage inflicted on Black communities by highway construction and urban renewal.
How Federal Funds Can Benefit Freeway Removal Projects
The recently passed infrastructure bill dedicates $1 billion to freeway removal and capping, but the sum is only a 'first step' toward redressing the injustices perpetuated by urban highway projects.
Reparations Program Underway in Maryland's College Park
The city of College Park will weigh recommendations from a newly formed Restorative Justice Steering Committee aimed at acknowledging and mitigating the damage to Black communities caused by urban renewal policies.
Houston's East River Redevelopment Threatens Historic Black Neighborhoods
Longtime residents are being left behind by new development that has raised housing costs and property taxes for some of Houston's most vulnerable communities, according to an article in the Houston Chronicle.
A Tour of Houston's Rapidly Gentrifying Neighborhoods
These Houston communities have experienced the most dramatic demographic changes in the last decade, according to new Census data.
Who Is Robert Moses?
Known to some as the 'master builder' and to others as a villain in the history of New York City's development, Robert Moses was an influential and controversial city official who guided the construction of hundreds of projects in the mid-20th century.
What Is Urban Renewal?
Ostensibly intended to improve "blighted" neighborhoods and provide better housing conditions, urban renewal often involved displacement and the wholesale destruction of urban communities.
Boise Plans for 'Urban Renewal District'
The proposal seeks to sustainably manage development along State Street, support local businesses, and improve public transit and pedestrian infrastructure in the area.
Black Wall Street's Second Destruction
After the Tulsa Race Massacre, Greenwood rebuilt strong. Then came "urban renewal."
What Are Le Corbusier's Towers in the Park?
Part of a movement that sought to modernize cities through a rational reorganization of the urban form, "Towers in the Park" is a style of housing development that emphasizes a separation of uses and access to communal green space and amenities.
What Is Displacement?
Displacement—the forced relocation of existing residents and businesses was once a desired outcome of the "urban renewal" projects of the 20th century. In the 21st century, displacement is a highly contested, hard to trace, effect commonly linked to gentrification and urban revitalization.
The Foundational Myth of America's Interstate Highway System
The erroneous belief that the negative impacts of interstate highways are simply "unintended consequences" fails to demand accountability for the project's failures.
I-49 'Connector' Planned for Historic Black Neighborhood in Louisiana
A record of decision is expected soon for a plan to build a freeway connector through the neighborhood of Allendale in Shreveport, Louisiana.
What Is Gentrification?
Gentrification is a process of neighborhood change, usually resulting from an influx of relatively wealthy, white residents to a neighborhood. But that definition, and the controversies that follow, vary greatly by location, and there is no universally accepted definition of the term.
Is Anti-Growth the Wrong Approach to Fighting Gentrification?
Limiting development has been a powerful tool for anti-gentrification activists, but have these policies had counter-productive effects?
Civil Rights and Historic Preservation: A Case Study from Northern Virginia
The civil rights debates of the 1960s and 1970s influence city planning in Alexandria, Virginia to this day.
Valuing Black Lives and Black Cities
Andre M. Perry’s "Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities" reveals the web of historical and contemporary socioeconomic barriers that maintain the racial wealth divide.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
