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Housing Act Of 1949 Essay

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Introduction After WW2 there was a significant increase in suburbanization which greatly decreased the investing in cities which meant they were deteriorating and experiencing economic downturn. In an effort to remedy this the Federal Government created the Housing Act of 1949 also known as Urban Renewal. This act allowed the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to buy “blighted”, “20 per cent or more of the homes in an area had one or more ‘substandard’ elements and could be subject to slum clearance”, communities and fund their revitalization. (Lopez 459) Some of the goals of the Act were to eliminate substandard housing, revitalize economies and eliminate segregation. The government used the power of eminent domain, which is the right for government to force property owners to sell land with the excuse the …show more content…

Frank Wilkinson, a strong supporter of public housing, was questioned about his political affiliations. (Yosso 157) This speculation coupled with the growing idea that public housing was “creeping socialism” brought the project to a halt. (Lopez 461) Wilkinson refused to voice his political affiliations and was removed from government immediately. Soon after Wilkinson was fired Congressman Norris Poulson was appointed to government, he was known for opposing public housing. He led many renegotiations for the projects that had already started and was able to reduce the amount of units that would be built. During this time the Brooklyn Dodgers were looking to build a new baseball stadium. (Yosso 156) In 1957, LA began negotiations with the Dodgers to build the stadium on the vacated Chavez Ravine land. In 1959, this contract became final and the last family, Arechiaga, was removed by the police. Ultimately, Chavez Ravine was initially destroyed to build housing units, but ended up being used to build a baseball

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