Evening star., 1962-01-28
Cities
[. and People
In Defense -
Of Renewal
BY ROBERT ]. LEWIS

vivid spectacle of cities sink
ing into a quicksand of blight
and despair - and of being
powerlesS to reach out a hand
to save them.
One of the disadvantages
OF democracy and of the
capitalist system, some peo-
pie tried to tell us, was that
.nothing could be done"
Private property rights were
so sacred, they implied, that
o governmental system such
as ours was put at a disad-
vantage.
A Hitler, Stain or Trujillo
could take a look at a city,
determine on projects to i'm
prove it and then go ahead.
Such power to act quickly,
without quibbling, otter n
yielded dramatic results. As
we crawled along, a chorus of
voices rose ever more impa-
tiently in the mistaken be-
lief that democracy was at
fault.
The fault, Of course, con-
sisted only in that we had
not yet faced the problem,
that we had not yet become
convinced something should
be done about it. Once we
realized that cities were, in
deed, in a frightful dilemma,
we began to look for a for
mula.
How could the strait jacket
be cast off by democratic
means?
In spite Of the belief on the
part Of some persons that
democracy is creaky in the
joints and unable to bound
and leap when the occasion
demands, it often proves ca
pable of astoundingly fast
time If the track is right
and may throw in an aero
batic somersault or two, out
of pure enthusiasm.
y + y
ALL THIS, as is well known,
was the genesis of laws en-
powering cities to m axe
themselves over with Federal
help. From a cocoon of leth-
argy, we emerged with a for
mula to move very fast,
winged with precedent-set-
ting powers going far beyond
any others similarly created.
Congress supplied the spi-
mach, the Supreme Court
seasoned it literally and, be-
fore long, planners all over
the country were flexing
their muscles and behaving
like Popeye the Sailor Man.
It was inevitable that
many mistakes would be
made. Few people knew
much about urban renewal,
and the process of learning
all there is to know, 1t is
generally conceded, doesn't
adapt itself very well to a
production-line schedule.
Yet the country wanted
action, and action is what
1t got, even though results
were often questioned. In
some places-to use an ex-
preston sometimes heard
urban renewal became a
"dirty word"
In my own home town OF
York, Pa, a Republican
Mayor took office the other
day principally because he
opposed what happened in
the process of urban renewal.
Yet the city'S registration is
overwhelmingly Democratic.
Closer to Washington, the
city of Alexandria not long
ago had a change of admin
istration in a similar con-
text.
TO TAKE THE LINE that
urban renewal Is harmful, in
itself, is to fall into the same
trap that caught those peo-
pie, way back when, who
said democracy was at a dis
advantage because nothing
could be done"
Those who understand the
vast powers of urban renewal
don't need to be told 1t is
strong medicine. AS with all
miracle drugs, it can have
some adverse side effects. AS
it approaches the heart Of
cities, it needs to be admin
istered with increasing care.
The main need, it seems,
is for some people to stop
pretending it's perfect. More
local participation of the
kind being supplied in Wash
ington can be helpful. Some
basic questions need to be
answered, too.
How can the benefits of
good design be more safely
assured?
Should there be more pre-
else definition of the kind
of areas in which urban
i I. oaA