HOUSING DISPLACEMENT, RACIALIZED POVERTY,

RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION, & COMMUNITY ACTIVISM

OLIVER WASHINGTON JR.

THE DYSFUNCTIONAL PARADIGMS OF URBAN RENEWAL 1945-1970

THE HISTORICAL PROBLEM• EXPLORING THE AMBIGUOUS MISUSE OF URBAN RENEWAL POLICIES,

CREATING THE DYSFUNCTIONAL PARADIGMS OF URBAN BLIGHT, HOUSING DISPLACEMENT, RACIALIZED POVERTY, RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION, AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISM • HOW DID THE AMBIGUOUS URBAN RENEWAL & POLITICAL POLICIES

DETERMINE SOUTH-CENTRAL PHILADELPHIANS ACCESS TO SERVICE, HOUSING, EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES, EQUITABLE SOCIOECONOMIC & EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN PHILADELPHIA’S 7TH WARD FROM 1945-1970

HISTORICAL PROBLEMMY RESEARCH LED ME TO EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP OF URBAN RENEWAL,

RACIALIZED POVERTY RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION, COMMUNITY OUT-MIGRATION AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN PHILADELPHIA’S SEVENTH WARD- HOW WAS THIS RELATIONSHIP STRUCTURED, MAINTAINED, AND RESTRUCTURED HISTORICALLY IN URBAN PHILADELPHIA?

HISTORICAL ARGUMENTSURBAN RENEWAL • HISTORICAL SCHOLARS LOOKED AT URBAN RENEWAL

THROUGH THE LENS OF FEDERAL LEGISLATION & FUNDING PROMOTING URBAN RENEWAL, EXACERBATING URBAN BLIGHT-NEGLECT, BURGEONING SUBURBANIZATION, CONCENTRATED AND RACIALIZED POVERTY

• URBAN RENEWAL: THE ACTIVITIES WHICH DIRECTLY ELIMINATE BLIGHT; COMPRESSIVE PLAN APPLIED TO ALL OF THE OLDER SECTIONS OF THE CITY; THE CLEARANCE & REBUILDING OF INTOLERABLY BAD AREAS; HOUSING CODE ENFORCEMENT & REHABILITATION; WORKABLE PROGRAMS

• CENTRAL URBAN RENEWAL AREA STUDY; REDEVELOPMENT, HOUSING CODE INSPECTION, NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION, & INDUSTRIAL RENEWAL

• CURA STUDY: A=BLIGHTED AREAS, 40-67% CLEARANCE, B=14-40% CLEARANCE, C=0-14% CLEARANCE. BLACK 7TH WARD WAS AN AREA

HOUSING, INDUSTRIAL, & SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS

• POST-WORLD WAR II DECLINE-OUT MIGRATION OF JOBS TO SUBURBS PROMOTED WHITE FLIGHT-WHITE FLIGHT IS CONNECTED TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES,

• BANKING PRACTICE OF DISINVESTMENT SPURS URBAN BLIGHT, CEMENTS RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION, & CONCENTRATED RACIALIZED POVERTY

HISTORICAL ARGUMENT CONT’DURBAN RENEWAL

• 1945 PA. URBAN DEVELOPMENT LAW-PROMOTING ELIMINATION OF BLIGHTED AREAS, ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF SAFE, SANITARY HOUSING

• HTTP://WWW.LEGIS.STATE.PA.US/CFDOCS/LEGIS/LI/UCONSCHECK.CFM?TXTTYPE=HTM&YR=1945&SESSIND=0&SMTHLWIND=0&ACT=0385.

• 1949 HOUSING ACT TITLE I AMENDMENT PROVIDES URBAN RENEWAL FUNDING TO PURCHASE BLIGHTED LAND

• 1954 HOUSING ACT, LEGISLATION AND FUNDING SPURS SUBURBANIZATION, HOUSING MODERNIZATION, URBAN DEVELOPMENT, & WHITE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION-,THE SHIFTING OF RESOURCES FROM INNER-CITIES TO SUBURBS

HOUSING, INDUSTRIAL, & SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS• INFLUX OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN AMERICANS

CREATES HOUSING SHORTAGES, CONCENTRATED POVERTY IN OVERPOPULATED COMMUNITIES-WEST PHILADELPHIA, SOUTH-CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA, & NORTH PHILADELPHIA• DISINVESTMENT IN OLDER BLACK COMMUNITIES• POSTINDUSTRIAL OUT-MIGRATION OF JOBS,

POPULATION DECLINE, WHITE FLIGHT=ECONOMIC FLIGHT, HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES, & RACIAL FEARS

HISTORICAL ARGUMENTSOUTHEAST CENTRAL I REDEVELOPMENT AREA PLANS: 9/01/1959

• HTTP://UPENNDIGITALSCHOLARSHIP.ORG/PHILLYPLANS/DOCUMENT/823#?C=0&M=0&S=0&CV=4&Z=0.6551%2C0.2553%2C1%2C0.824• PROPOSED CROSSTOWN EXPRESSWAY:

PHILADELPHIA’S MASON-DIXON LINE, PHYSICAL BARRIER, POLLUTION, IMPROVE EAST-WEST TRAFFIC CONGESTION, & TRUCK ACCESS TO ABBOT DAIRY• COMMUNITY ACTIVISM

SOUTH CENTRAL REDEVELOPMENT AREA PLANS: 11/1968

• HTTP://UPENNDIGITALSCHOLARSHIP.ORG/PHILLYPLANS/FILES/ORIGINAL/164B8FBE7ECA24E2BBA5ED6DE94F601E.PDF• PROPOSED CROSSTOWN EXPRESSWAY,

ELIMINATION OR ALLEVIATION OF BLIGHT• PROPOSED NEW CONSTRUCTION,

REHABILITATION, & RENEWAL PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE UNSAFE, UNSANITARY, INADEQUATE, & OVERCROWDED HOUSING CONDITIONS

HISTORICAL ARGUMENTSECONDARY MIGRATION

• RELOCATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION, CULTURE, RESOURCES, AND ETC• LACK OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN

PROFESSIONAL CLASS, MIDDLE-WORKING CLASS, AND VIABLE CULTURAL RESOURCES TO SUSTAIN THE BLACK ENCLAVE OF THE 7TH WARD

DYSFUNCTIONAL DICHOTOMY OF URBAN RENEWAL

• FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL POLICIES HELPED EXACERBATE THE DYSFUNCTIONAL PARADIGMS OF URBAN RENEWAL SPURRING URBAN BLIGHT-NEGLECT, SUBURBAN GROWTH, AND CONCENTRATED RACIALIZED POVERTY

FINAL OBSERVATIONSTHE IMPACT OF URBAN RENEWAL• COMMUNITY ACTIVISM CHANGES

THE URBAN LANDSCAPE OF PHILADELPHIA• URBAN RENEWAL,

SUBURBANIZATION DICHOTOMY EQUALS INDUSTRIAL DECIMATION, RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION, SHIFTING RESOURCES, CONCENTRATED RACIALIZED POVERTY, CULTURAL MIGRATION & SOCIAL UPHEAVAL

PHILADELPHIA 1970

FUTURE RESEARCHWHAT’S NEXT• IN-DEPTH RESEARCH OF THE IMPACT OF CLASS, RACE,

RELIGION, & URBAN RENEWAL BETWEEN WEST PHILADELPHIA & THE SUBURBAN-RURAL LANDSCAPE OF PA. & NJ• CITATIONS: “SOUTHEAST CENTRAL 1 REDEVELOPMENT

AREA PLAN,” CITY PLANS: PHILADELPHIA 1945-1990, ACCESSED DECEMBER 9, 2016, HTTP://UPENNDIGITALSCHOLARSHIP.ORG/PHILLYPLANS/DOCUMENT/823.

PHILADELPHIA EXPLORATION• INTERVIEWS• IMMERSION IN W. PHILADELPHIA, BYRN MAWR, AND

SUBURBAN-RURAL MUNICIPALITIES, • CITATIONS:“SOUTHEAST CENTRAL 1 REDEVELOPMENT

AREA PLAN,” CITY PLANS: PHILADELPHIA 1945-1990, ACCESSED DECEMBER 8, 2016, HTTP://UPENNDIGITALSCHOLARSHIP.ORG/PHILLYPLANS/DOCUMENT/823.