Blog 13: Draft of Archives Project Essay
David Daniel Strack
Professor Vassilou
ENG 103
9, May 2011
Housing Hysteria
Imagine for a moment you are living in a building that a fellow tenant was burned in the furnace. Most people’s initial reactions to this tragedy would be fear and confusion. Sad to say this was an actual reality for a woman residing in Harlem in the ‘70s. She believed that she wasn’t living in a slum but was dwelling among “very nice people”. Slums were a common home to many inner city residents of New York City around the time of the 1970’s. This archive based essay will explore the concept of “Planned Shrinkage as introduced by Roger Starr as appropriate for the times. This will include Starr’s philosophy behind his idea and the Medias reaction.
Roger Starr understood that the city needed to shrink down its responsibilities in order to accommodate with a tremendous loss in the city’s revenue. In a 9-2-93 interview with Roger Starr, he states that “…with a decline in population which will inevitably follow a decline in jobs, with increased costs to the city, we’ve got to find a way to make the city’s obligations smaller.” He proposed an idea that would cut back on services to slum areas of south Bronx and Brooklyn for later redevelopment. Roger Starr received mass received mass criticism for his idea to budget better for the city. According to March 4th article from the Daily News titled “Display of Ignorance” council man Fredrick Samuel called planned shrinkage “genocidal ,racist, inhuman arrogant and irresponsible”. Starr replied later by saying ''Although my phrase ''planned shrinkage'' will run a poor second to ''benign neglect'' in the unappreciated phrases derby,'' he wrote, ''it will remain the most prominent label in the file of my government service.'' (Obituary, New York Times)
In NYC 1970s the economic and social status of the city, including those boroughs with slums was a growing disaster. Jobs and population was dropping quickly, headlines read “3,432 city jobs cut in a month”. In a press release statement made by Mayor Beame on May 20, 1975 he declares the president accountable for his lack of regard in aided New York City. Beame criticizes the president inferring that his current deficit and policy of economic inaction is responsible for “…the country’s worst recession in 34 years, with more than eight million Americans unemployed”. The Mayor added in an earlier release dated May 14th “The Ford recession and the Ford inflation is crippling our city and nation… New York’s problems [are] created not by the sins of its people, but by national policies… [Ford’s] advice to us is to cripple our vital services”.
Beame appointed Roger Starr head of the housing and development administration. In the interview with Robert Fitch, Mr. Starr explains that he was suggested to be head of the committee by Bob Tischman who gave generous contributions to Beame’s campaign. The main idea was that Beame had experience from his early work with his father’s barge company and his duties as board of Citizens housing and planning council. Starr thought of housing as a mythology. In the interview Starr added his views on bad tenants by mentioning that the problem with housing is to find “…tenants who are not destructive and who will pay their rent on time”. He also commented on federal policy by saying “the problem with government programs is that you find yourself having to take in tenants that who are extremely destructive and whom you can’t get rid of”. Starr made a statement about the Brook amendment when asked about federal programs. He said that this amendment was “devastating”, that the tenants who couldn’t pay an adequate rental made it difficult to keep maintenance so public housing deteriorated very rapidly that cause most of the good tenants to move out.
The interview of Roger Starr in 1993 portraits his philosophy on the fact that “social programs assume that all people are alike and that all people are fundamentally good and decent and, that you don’t have to worry about the character and quality of the people” he says “as long as you give them money to do the job, everything is going to be well done, which is unfortunately true”. A March 5, 1976 Daily News article quotes Starr’s idea of planned shrinkage. He says that planned shrinkage will “Spur Population movement of such areas and conserve services during a crisis”. According to his obituary in the New York Times his philosophy was tough-love code of social morality and individual responsibility. His remarks to his plans remained ''Although my phrase ''planned shrinkage'' will run a poor second to ''benign neglect'' in the unappreciated phrases derby,'' he wrote, ''it will remain the most prominent label in the file of my government service.''
Given the social context, the financial reality of the city, and Starr’s own beliefs, I judge his initial ideas with proper intentions and correctly appropriate for the situation of the city. Roger Starr’s creditability in urban affairs as an outspoken leader is a quality that should be trusted. He eventually became disillusioned by what he viewed as the flawed execution of good intention. (LAMBERT) Just because the idea seemed so extreme and controversial it was disavowed immediately. Never seeing possibility, but making it impossible. Mr. Starr foreshadowed events future in New York from his oral report saying that it will happen all over again, “that stocks just don’t go up”.
Professor Vassilou
ENG 103
9, May 2011
Housing Hysteria
Imagine for a moment you are living in a building that a fellow tenant was burned in the furnace. Most people’s initial reactions to this tragedy would be fear and confusion. Sad to say this was an actual reality for a woman residing in Harlem in the ‘70s. She believed that she wasn’t living in a slum but was dwelling among “very nice people”. Slums were a common home to many inner city residents of New York City around the time of the 1970’s. This archive based essay will explore the concept of “Planned Shrinkage as introduced by Roger Starr as appropriate for the times. This will include Starr’s philosophy behind his idea and the Medias reaction.
Roger Starr understood that the city needed to shrink down its responsibilities in order to accommodate with a tremendous loss in the city’s revenue. In a 9-2-93 interview with Roger Starr, he states that “…with a decline in population which will inevitably follow a decline in jobs, with increased costs to the city, we’ve got to find a way to make the city’s obligations smaller.” He proposed an idea that would cut back on services to slum areas of south Bronx and Brooklyn for later redevelopment. Roger Starr received mass received mass criticism for his idea to budget better for the city. According to March 4th article from the Daily News titled “Display of Ignorance” council man Fredrick Samuel called planned shrinkage “genocidal ,racist, inhuman arrogant and irresponsible”. Starr replied later by saying ''Although my phrase ''planned shrinkage'' will run a poor second to ''benign neglect'' in the unappreciated phrases derby,'' he wrote, ''it will remain the most prominent label in the file of my government service.'' (Obituary, New York Times)
In NYC 1970s the economic and social status of the city, including those boroughs with slums was a growing disaster. Jobs and population was dropping quickly, headlines read “3,432 city jobs cut in a month”. In a press release statement made by Mayor Beame on May 20, 1975 he declares the president accountable for his lack of regard in aided New York City. Beame criticizes the president inferring that his current deficit and policy of economic inaction is responsible for “…the country’s worst recession in 34 years, with more than eight million Americans unemployed”. The Mayor added in an earlier release dated May 14th “The Ford recession and the Ford inflation is crippling our city and nation… New York’s problems [are] created not by the sins of its people, but by national policies… [Ford’s] advice to us is to cripple our vital services”.
Beame appointed Roger Starr head of the housing and development administration. In the interview with Robert Fitch, Mr. Starr explains that he was suggested to be head of the committee by Bob Tischman who gave generous contributions to Beame’s campaign. The main idea was that Beame had experience from his early work with his father’s barge company and his duties as board of Citizens housing and planning council. Starr thought of housing as a mythology. In the interview Starr added his views on bad tenants by mentioning that the problem with housing is to find “…tenants who are not destructive and who will pay their rent on time”. He also commented on federal policy by saying “the problem with government programs is that you find yourself having to take in tenants that who are extremely destructive and whom you can’t get rid of”. Starr made a statement about the Brook amendment when asked about federal programs. He said that this amendment was “devastating”, that the tenants who couldn’t pay an adequate rental made it difficult to keep maintenance so public housing deteriorated very rapidly that cause most of the good tenants to move out.
The interview of Roger Starr in 1993 portraits his philosophy on the fact that “social programs assume that all people are alike and that all people are fundamentally good and decent and, that you don’t have to worry about the character and quality of the people” he says “as long as you give them money to do the job, everything is going to be well done, which is unfortunately true”. A March 5, 1976 Daily News article quotes Starr’s idea of planned shrinkage. He says that planned shrinkage will “Spur Population movement of such areas and conserve services during a crisis”. According to his obituary in the New York Times his philosophy was tough-love code of social morality and individual responsibility. His remarks to his plans remained ''Although my phrase ''planned shrinkage'' will run a poor second to ''benign neglect'' in the unappreciated phrases derby,'' he wrote, ''it will remain the most prominent label in the file of my government service.''
Given the social context, the financial reality of the city, and Starr’s own beliefs, I judge his initial ideas with proper intentions and correctly appropriate for the situation of the city. Roger Starr’s creditability in urban affairs as an outspoken leader is a quality that should be trusted. He eventually became disillusioned by what he viewed as the flawed execution of good intention. (LAMBERT) Just because the idea seemed so extreme and controversial it was disavowed immediately. Never seeing possibility, but making it impossible. Mr. Starr foreshadowed events future in New York from his oral report saying that it will happen all over again, “that stocks just don’t go up”.
posted by David Strack @ 4:53 AM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
The introduction was very good because using that story really keep me interested in the rest of the paper. The news interviews also helped give a connection between Roger Starr and planned shrinkage. So far, so good.
1) Yes
2) Yes it does.
3) Yes, this is one of the main point to this paper
4) Reactions are given.
5) It begins to touch on it.
6) History is used as evidence.
7) Yes they are both stated.
8) Yes the times are explained.
9) Yes the they flow togerher
10) Yes, one idea per paragraph
1)The sources are evident and are well used.
2)Discusses more social than economical. Still good.
3)Explored basic idea of what planned shrinkage is.
4)There are a lot of reactions cited and quoted about panned shrinkage.
5)Didn’t completely finish, but based on his notes for the 3rd body paragraph, he will.
6)same as 5.
7)Yes
8)Yes, just needs to elaborate more as to why when he does the finishing touches.
9)Yes, closing sentences transistion well to the topic sentences of the next paragraph.
10) Yes
It’s a really good essay so far. Aside from a few grammatical errors from the beginning.
Imagine for a moment you are living in a building and you find out a fellow tenant was burned in the furnace. What would be your initial reactions to this tragedy; perhaps fear and confusion? You might ask yourself how safe is my family and I and is it time for a move? Finally, you might ask yourself: what civilized being would do this? It’s sad to say this was an actual reality for a woman residing in Harlem in the ‘70s. She believed that she wasn’t living in a slum, but that she was dwelling among “very nice people”. Slums were a common home to many inner city residents of New York City around the time of the 1970’s. This research paper will explore the concept of “Planned Shrinkage as introduced by Roger Starr as appropriate for the times. This will include Starr’s philosophy behind his idea and the Medias reaction.
Just a suggestion is all. And when you are using a quote withing a quote, you use apostraphes: Example “lalalala ‘kaykaykay’ lalalala.”
thanks guys helped alot
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home