The Fallacy of Urban Planning
I might be completely off base, but I've come up with a little theory that I think has some merit.
One practically universal truth most can agree with is that the last generation of urban planners messed up. But, of course, that batch figured the generation before them was the one that really messed up. They looked at America's cities and saw disorder and chaos, so they came up with the principles we now associate with suburban development. It goes on and on like that. Each new generation of urban planners sees the mistakes of the last and pines for some ideal, either nostalgic or futuristic in nature depending on what's in style.
Of course, we think we have all the answers now, but as history reveals, the only constant is that urban planners are generally wrong. Which then raises an important question: why are they always wrong?
After spending time substantial time researching Michigan's urban areas, I've come to a realization. Urban planners have failed and continue fail because they think they can cure social ills through planning. Even today, urban planners believe they can revitalize America's urban centers with their schemes, alleviating and possibly eliminating the plight of the inner city. Just as before we built projects and cleared sums with similar intentions.
But it won't work. It can't. Urban planning simply can't fix social problems. In such cases it only rearranges the mess.
The truth is that in America, we've underestimated the challenges of attempting a "melting pot" culture. Most countries have a single culture and thousands of years worth of social codes bringing forth order. Yet here in America we believed we could bring together dozens of cultures in a relatively short amount of time, an extraordinarily difficult task. And while it's true that we've made tremendous progress, the fact is that it's often been a slow and painful process. We need to accept that and move on from that understanding.
The reason, for example, that Detroit fared so much worse than other major American cities was because of the "colorblind" hiring policies of the automakers. In Michigan, blacks were economically empowered in a way that was unparalleled in American history. That placed certain strains on the existing social order unseen elsewhere. That's how we ended up with such a blatantly segregated metro area for so long. It's simple logic.
If we really want urban planning to succeed, we need to properly address the issue of discrimination in this country. Otherwise, I don't care how short or long a block is. It won't make a dent in discrimination and the resulting ills. Only education, honesty, and openness can combat discrimination.
Let's face it, we work best when we work together. America's strength is its diversity, and the more we embrace that, the better off we are. It won't be easy, but what other viable choices do we have?
