HISTORY 7B Lecture 21: Lecture 21_ Building the Modern City - History 7B
● Building the Modern City
- Good for white middle/working class, bad for poor and African Americans(excluded
from benefits)
- Tendency to exaggerate the power of post war policy
- 1950s = two mentalities → one of fear (Red Scare) and confidence
○ I. Modernism
■ Rise of planning = result of larger temperament → modernism
■ Heroic human control over nature/society
● example : Hoover Dam
■ 1939 NY World Fair = ‘Edge of Tomorrow’
● Showcased innovations, companies went all out, technological
marvels, first display of television, star of fair = GM’s ‘Futurama’
■ Modern architecture = definitive look → international style
● Sleek skyscrapers with clean lines
■ Monumental parks and buildings
○ II. Planning
■ Le Corbusier = famous Paris architect in the late 1930s
● Influenced American architecture
■ Housing Act (1949):
● Aimed at combating overcrowding
○ Urban renewal of Urban “blight” = poor, lackluster housing
■ Bunker Hill Redevelopment, LA
■ Mayor started a plan to build 10,000 housing units
■ Chavez Ravine, La
● Housing mainly for Mexican Americans
○ Anti-housing people won and housing plan was
scrapped → given to Walter O’ Malley who built
Dodger stadium with the land
○ III. Policies
■ A. Urban Renewal
● Urban renewal = “Negro renewal”
● To build Atlanta, they displaced 50,000 people (particularly
African Americans) and destroyed 20,000 units of homes
■ B. Public Housing
● Robert-Taylor homes = biggest housing project in the world and
the worst
○ Mother Teresa worked to resolve this project
○ Late 1940s = “black belts” bursting at the seems
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Good for white middle/working class, bad for poor and african americans(excluded from benefits) Tendency to exaggerate the power of post war policy. 1950s = two mentalities one of fear (red scare) and confidence. Rise of planning = result of larger temperament modernism. 1939 ny world fair = edge of tomorrow". Showcased innovations, companies went all out, technological marvels, first display of television, star of fair = gm"s futurama". Modern architecture = definitive look (cid:1445)international style(cid:1446) Le corbusier = famous paris architect in the late 1930s. Mayor started a plan to build 10,000 housing units. Urban renewal of urban blight = poor, lackluster housing. Anti-housing people won and housing plan was scrapped given to walter o" malley who built. To build atlanta, they displaced 50,000 people (particularly. African americans) and destroyed 20,000 units of homes. Robert-taylor homes = biggest housing project in the world and the worst. Mother teresa worked to resolve this project.
