Just came across an enlightening blog post about Corktown in the 1950s.
http://corktownhistory.blogspot.com/...ndustrial.html
One things that struct me as ...horrifying (I guess) is what qualifies as blight.
Quote:
How does one define "blight"? Common sense factors such as housing defects and crime rate were considered, but the urban planners of the 1950s used more creativity in interpreting the word. They also included indications such as:- The age of buildings
- The occupants' income
- "Overcrowding" of buildings
- Lack of yard space
- Intrusion of non-residential uses
- Narrow streets
- High traffic volume
- Lack of off-street parking
- "Mixed character" of buildings
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I mean, I understand they were trying to get federal money to build new housing, but what urban neighborhood
doesn't have those qualities? By those measures, they could have demo'd from downtown to Mcnichols if they really wanted to. Ugh... if they only saw the effects of their "improvements" on the city.
