A study in contradictions: The origins and legacy of the Housing Act of 1949

The origins and legacy of the Housing Act of 1949 reflect the conflicting impulses of the political leaders who created it and the complexity of the forces it attempted to control. Its history is studded with contradictions. Through its public housing program, the act provided housing for low-income families; through its urban redevelopment program, it cleared slums and destroyed affordable housing units. Twenty-five years after its passage, many observers concluded that public housing and urban renewal programs were fostering the slums and blight they were meant to eradicate. Even as policy makers abandoned the methods the act prescribed and adopted one housing and redevelopment program after another, they adhered resolutely to its goals. Hence, although its programs have been deemed failures, the vision of the Housing Act of 1949-to revitalize American cities and provide a decent home for every American family-remains undimmed.