Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act

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(AKA the Demonstration Cities Act of 1966)

1 Purpose
2 Section 204
3 Impact
4 Additional information
5 References

[edit] Purpose

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.

[edit] 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."^[1]

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.

[edit] 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 lacked an areawide review agency (Washington Center, 1970).

[edit] Additional information

(The following is copyrighted and should be paraphrased by someone. I don't have the time right now.)

The Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 19661 authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide financial and technical assistance enabling cities to plan and execute certain types of programs designed to improve the quality of urban life in the United States.2 Among the projects which may qualify for assistance are "locally prepared and scheduled comprehensive city demonstration programs containing new and imaginative proposals to rebuild or revitalize large slum and blighted areas . . . ."3 A comprehensive city demonstration program is eligible for assistance only if it satisfies specified criteria,4 one of which is that it be "of sufficient magnitude to . . . provide . . . widespread citizen participation in the program . . . ."5 The Secretary is commanded, inter alia, to "emphasize local initiative in the planning, development, and implementation of comprehensive city demonstration programs . . . ."6 The case before us challenges a demonstration program as violative of these requirements.7^[2]