The History and Long-Run Consequences of Urban Renewal

Urban Renewal was a landmark federal policy that aimed to revitalize American cities by clearing "blighted" neighborhoods and replacing them with modern developments. Between 1949 and 1973, this program displaced an estimated 200,000 families and demolished over 600,000 housing units. However, no comprehensive database exists documenting where and when these projects occurred, making it difficult to study their long-term effects on displaced residents and surrounding communities. In this project, we will systematically collect and validate data on Urban Renewal project boundaries and implementation timelines. Research assistants will help locate and extract information from archival sources and newspaper articles to reconstruct the geography and chronology of Urban Renewal across U.S. cities. This research project offers students the opportunity to contribute to research on one of the most significant urban policies in American history while gaining experience with quantitative research methods and spatial data that are increasingly important in economics, history, and urban studies.