Housing Act of 1949

Housing Act of 1949
Sprawling public housing projects like Chicago's Cabrini–Green were one result of the Housing Act of 1949.

The American Housing Act of 1949 (Title V of P.L. 81-171) was a landmark, sweeping expansion of the federal role in mortgage insurance and issuance and the construction of public housing. It was part of Harry Truman's program of domestic legislation, the Fair Deal.

Contents

Provisions

The main elements of the Act included:

  • providing federal financing for slum clearance programs associated with urban renewal projects in American cities (Title I),
  • increasing authorization for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance (Title II),
  • extending federal money to build more than 800,000 public housing units (Title III)
  • fund research into housing and housing techniques, and
  • permitting the FHA to provide financing for rural homeowners.

Creation of the legislation

In the State of the Union address unveiling the Fair Deal, Truman observed that "Five million families are still living in slums and firetraps. Three million families share their homes with others." He also presented a policy statement on housing:

The housing shortage continues to be acute. As an immediate step, the Congress should enact the provisions for low-rent public housing, slum clearance, farm housing, and housing research which I have repeatedly recommended. The number of lowrent public housing units provided for in the legislation should be increased to 1 million units in the next 7 years. Even this number of units will not begin to meet our need for new housing.

Most of the houses we need will have to be built by private enterprise, without public subsidy. By producing too few rental units and too large a proportion of high-priced houses, the building industry is rapidly pricing itself out of the market. Building costs must be lowered.

The Government is now engaged in a campaign to induce all segments of the building industry to concentrate on the production of lower priced housing. Additional legislation to encourage such housing will be submitted.

The authority which I have requested, to allocate materials in short supply and to impose price ceilings on such materials, could be used, if found necessary, to channel more materials into homes large enough for family life at prices which wage earners can afford.[1]

In Congress, the bill was sponsored by Republican Sen. Robert Taft.[2]

Legacy

The Act was of great importance in that it governed the way the immense financial resources of the federal government would shape the growth of American cities in the post-war era. For instance, in one survey of the top "influences on the postwar American metropolis," the FHA's mortgage financing program ranks second and urban renewal programs rank fourth.[3] The law facilitated a rise in homeownership and the building of huge public housing projects that would become fixtures in many American cities.

The legislation's legacy is mixed, particularly with regard to the success of the urban renewal and public housing elements. The government fell far short of its goal to build 810,000 units of new public housing by 1955, providing little aid to cities suffering from housing shortages. In fact, because of projects like Lincoln Center, a New York City cultural development including 4400 apartments for which 7000 apartments were torn down, the Act's urban redevelopment programs actually destroyed more housing units than they built.[4]

Meanwhile, the massive urban redevelopment efforts prompted by the Act came under fire for poor planning, failings with regard to social equity and fairness, and sometimes corruption (see, e.g., Manhattantown). Urban renewal also came under fire for discriminating against minorities, in that it often resulted in minority-heavy slums being destroyed and replaced with more expensive housing or non-residential public works that were not accommodating to the original inhabitants. The slogan adopted by critics equated "urban renewal" with "Negro removal."[5]

The federal government spent $13.5 billion on urban redevelopment and slum clearance projects between 1953 and 1986.[6]

References

  1. ^ Truman, Harry. 1949 State of the Union address
  2. ^ http://www.mi.vt.edu/data/files/hpd%2011(2)/hpd%2011(2)_editor's%20introduction.pdf, 293
  3. ^ The interstate highway program topped the list
  4. ^ Caro, Robert. The Power Broker. Vintage: 1974, p. 1014.; [www.fanniemaefoundation.org/programs/hpd/pdf/hpd_1102_edintro.pdf]
  5. ^ Rusk, David. Inside Game Outside Game. Brookings Institution, 1999. p. 90. Clarence Thomas refers to this phrase and writes: "Urban renewal projects have long been associated with the displacement of blacks; ..." Kelo v. New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005) [1]
  6. ^ Rusk, David. Inside Game Outside Game. Brookings Institution, 1999. p. 90.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Housing Act of 1937 — The Housing Act of 1937, aka the Wagner Steagall Act, provided for subsidies to be paid from the U.S. government to local public housing agencies (PHA s) to improve living conditions for low income families. The act builds on the National Housing …   Wikipedia

  • Housing Act, 1949 —    The 1949 Housing Act extended federal mortgage insurance for low cost rural housing and provided mortgage insurance for cooperative housing projects. It increased housing loans for World War II veterans and provided financial assistance for… …   Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era

  • National Housing Act, 1949 —    Passed on 15 July 1949, the National Housing Act of 1949 provided $1.5 billion for slum clearance and proposed a public housing development of 810,000 new homes. Only about 300,000 were built.    See also National Housing Act, 1934; National… …   Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era

  • National Housing Act — may refer to: National Housing Act (Canada) of 1938, the first significant federal housing legislation adopted in Canada National Housing Act of 1934, the first significant federal housing legislation enacted in the United States Housing Act of… …   Wikipedia

  • National Housing Act, 1937 —    Passed in 1937 and also known as the Wagner Steagall Act, the National Housing Act of 1937 was intended to deal with the issue of poor housing and provide for slum clearance. It established the United States Housing Authority (USHA) to provide …   Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era

  • National Housing Act, 1934 —    The National Housing Act of 1934 established the Federal Housing Administration to insure banks, mortgage providers, and building and loan associations to enable them to make loans for home and farm building or improvement.    See also… …   Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era

  • Housing Acts, 1934, 1937 —    The Housing Act established the Federal Housing Administration to encourage banks and building loan associations to provide loans for home building and repairs. The second act in 1937 established the U.S. Public Housing Authority to encourage… …   Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era

  • United States Department of Housing and Urban Development — Coordinates: 38°53′03″N 77°01′22″W / 38.88406°N 77.02266°W / 38.88406; 77.02266 …   Wikipedia

  • Affordable housing — is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed to a group of people within a specified income range. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower… …   Wikipedia

  • National Housing Conference — Established 1931 President and CEO Maureen Friar Chair Dan Nissenbaum Headquarters Washington, D.C., USA …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”