Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. It involves the clearing out of blighted areas in inner cities to clear out slums and create opportunities for higher class housing, businesses, and other developments. The purpose of urban renewal is to restore economic viability to a given area by attracting external private and public investment and by encouraging business start-ups and survival. Urban renewal is a process where privately owned properties within a designated renewal area are purchased or taken by eminent domain by a municipal redevelopment authority, razed, and then reconveyed to selected developers who devote them to other uses.
Urban renewal is a comprehensive scheme to redress a complex of urban problems, including unsanitary, deficient, or obsolete housing; inadequate transportation, sanitation, and other issues. One of the chief activities of urban renewal is redevelopment, which is achieved through the clearance and rebuilding of structures that are deteriorated or obsolete in themselves or are laid out in an unsatisfactory way. Other aspects of urban renewal involve the reuse of the land for new purposes, rehabilitation of structurally sound buildings that have deteriorated or lost their original functions, and conservation—a protective process designed to maintain the function and quality of an area.
Urban renewal is the process of seizing and demolishing large swaths of private and public property for the purpose of modernizing and improving aging infrastructure. Between 1949 and 1974, the U.S. implemented urban renewal programs that resulted in the destruction of historic structures, the displacement of low-income families, and the removal of small businesses. Urban renewal is also the story of reconstruction, as modern housing complexes, shopping malls, office buildings, civic centers, sports arenas, parking lots, and college campuses all owe their existence to urban renewal.
In summary, urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment that aims to address urban decay in cities by clearing out blighted areas and creating opportunities for higher class housing, businesses, and other developments. It is a comprehensive scheme to redress a complex of urban problems, including unsanitary, deficient, or obsolete housing; inadequate transportation, sanitation, and other issues. However, urban renewal is also controversial for its eventual displacement and destabilization of low-income residents and other marginalized groups.
