Evening star., 1961-09-29
By WILLIAM SLAYTON
Commissioner, Urbon Renewal Administration

munltleS to remove SlumS
and arrest the spread of ur-
ban decay. Since the pro-
gram began in 1949, about
goo projects have been un-
dertaken in almost 500 cities.
In recent weeks, there has
been a considerable upsurge
of new applications indicat-
ing a substantial increase in
the near future of the num-
Der of cities participating
and the number of projects
Washington was one Of the
earliest cities to participate,
and the activity in South
west Washington is among
the most ambitious in the
country. Here, within sight
of the Capitol dome, one of
the worst areas of blight in
the United States has been
eliminated. This former Slum
is being redeveloped into an
entirely new neighborhood,
with apartments, single fam
lily homes, cultural inStitu-
tions, modern shopping fa-
cilities, schools, Fairgrounds,
and office buildings.
Convenience Assured
The waterfront will be
beautified and developed for
commercial, recreational, and
public purposes. Within close
proximity to downtown
Washington will arise a new
neighborhood containing the
facilities and atmosphere to
make it a desirable and con-
venient place to live.
This is being repeated in
many other cities-through
the cooperation and part
nership Of private enterprise
and local and Federal Gov
ernments. Areas that for
merly had housing of the
worst kind-that bred di-
Sease and delinquency-are
now being redeveloped into
sound, healthy areas of new
housing, commercial and in
dustrial developments, parks,
schools, hospitals, and other
institutions.
In these urban renewal
areas builders are offered
the opportunity to acquire
good intown land for devel-
opment. The home owner or
renter, who wishes to live in
the city, can find good hous-
ing in a decent, desirable
environment.
How II Works
What is urban renewal,
and how does it work? What
is its background and origin?
Prior to the enactment of
urban renewal legislation,
the only tool available for
clearing slums was public
housing. This gram,
which originated in the '30s,
provided for the acquisition
of slum areas by condemna-
ton, and clearing of the
land, providing the city
agreed to build low-rent pub
lie housing on the cleared
site. This program was eff
fective in clearing slums on
a small scale. 1t was also
effective in providing hous-
ing for low-income families
unable to afford decent
housing in the private mar
ket. This program continues
to provide this housing, al
though its slum clearance
aspects are secondary, but by
no means inconsequential.
1t was evident from the
beginning that the limitation
on using a cleared area for
the single purpose of public
housing had its drawbacks.
Consequently, the idea of re-
building cleared slum sec
tions for uses other than
public housing began to
evolve into the concept of
urban renewal - rebuilding,
by private enterprise, in ac-
cordance with the uses best
suited to the city and the
area.
BuIIdozer Approach
But the limited approach
of dealing with separate. rel
atively small areas continued
to prevail. Practically every
body in those days thought
of urban renewal in terms of
demolition of buildings, COM
plete clearance of the area,
and rebuilding from scratch.
1t soon became apparent,
however, that the bulldozer
approach was not the answer
to everything-that rehabili-
tation of rundown but sound
structures and neighborhoods
under certain circumstances
could provide a speedier,
more economical solution.
1t also became apparent
that treating small isolated
areas was not enough. These
areas could not become
sound and desirable neigh
borhoods if they remained
encased in larger areas of
slums and blight. To be sue
cessful and effective in at
tacking blight and slums, an
overall plan for an entire
city was necessary. A work
able program for community
Improvement became a re-
quirement. This encompaSsed
the actions a community
should take to analyze its
neighborhoods. determine its
needs. and set up the ma
chinery and organization to
carry out a community i'm
provement program.
EIiminote Couses