Weaponization of Urban Renewal and Generational Displacement

We are examining the systemic displacement of Black and minority communities across the United States caused by twentieth-century infrastructure projects and discriminatory urban planning. From interstate highway construction in cities like Houston, Los Angeles, and New Orleans to urban renewal initiatives in Portland and Syracuse, We illustrate how federal policies often bulldozed thriving neighborhoods and erased generational wealth. This historical pattern of marginalization without local consent is framed as a form of institutional racism that continues to impact public health and political power today.

Sources:

https://fhco.org/urban-renewal-history-and-the-i-5-rose-quarter-improvement-project/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/21/syracuse-new-york-highway-i81-viaduct-biden

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/documenting-history-iconic-new-orleans-street-and-looking-its-future-180977854/

https://www.portland.gov/phb/nnehousing/framework/historical-overview

https://aframnews.com/national-news/black-america-has-seen-this-before-now-the-world-is-seeing-it-in-venezuela/

https://www.latimes.com/projects/us-freeway-highway-expansion-black-latino-communities/