Existing comment:
The Congressional Laboratory
For many the story of the redevelopment of Washington's aged neighborhoods is a cautionary tale. In the 1930s well-intentioned congressional leaders, planners, and developers surveyed the worn housing of the nation's cities and deemed much of it not worth saving. Congress passed the Redevelopment Act of 1945 and opened the doors to razing and replacing old neighborhoods. DC became a test ground for an expansive urban renewal, where policies and tactics destined for other cities were tried first. The old Southwest and parts of Northwest DC, populated by lower-income families, proved easy to uproot. Despite the promises of private developers and government agencies, the bulldozing and remaking of the entire neighborhood meant not only the loss of thousands of buildings, but also the permanent dispersal of thousands of people. |