Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act
Encyclopedia
With the growth in federal grant programs for construction projects, there was a need for a mechanism to coordinate these projects. The Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 was enacted to guarantee that federal grants were being spent on set projects. The act helped coordinate projects, whether for urban renewal
, highways, transit or other construction.
It further required that all applications for the planning and construction of facilities be submitted to an areawide planning agency for review. The agency was required to be composed of local elected officials. The objective was to encourage the coordination of planning and construction of physical facilities in urban areas.
and technical
assistance to enable cities to plan and carry out programs designed to improve the quality of US urban life. Some of the projects that qualify for this assistance are comprehensive plans to rebuild or revitalize disadvantaged areas. This program is only available if the plan expects and encourages widespread civilian participation. The Secretary (of Housing and Urban Development) is expected to emphasize the initiative of local civilians in the planning, development and implementation of the demonstration programs.
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
, highways, transit or other construction.
Section 204
It asserted the federal interest in improving the coordination of public facility construction projects "to obtain maximum effectiveness of federal spending and to relate such projects to areawide development plans."It further required that all applications for the planning and construction of facilities be submitted to an areawide planning agency for review. The agency was required to be composed of local elected officials. The objective was to encourage the coordination of planning and construction of physical facilities in urban areas.
Impact
In response to these new requirements, many urban areas started new planning agencies or commissions to include elected officials on their policy boards. By the end of 1969, only six metropolitan areas lacked an areawide review agency.Overview of Rules and Guidelines
This Act allows the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide financialFINANCIAL
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and technical
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
assistance to enable cities to plan and carry out programs designed to improve the quality of US urban life. Some of the projects that qualify for this assistance are comprehensive plans to rebuild or revitalize disadvantaged areas. This program is only available if the plan expects and encourages widespread civilian participation. The Secretary (of Housing and Urban Development) is expected to emphasize the initiative of local civilians in the planning, development and implementation of the demonstration programs.