Urban renewal

Urban renewal, removal of city slums and their replacement with improved residential or commercial facilities. Ideally, the federal government grants a city a certain amount of money to replace a slum neighborhood. The city then uses the funds to buy and demolish derelict property, relocating families and businesses to new areas. Next, the land is sold to private or public developers at a low price. Schools, parks, office centers, and so on are then to be built where the slum once stood. The program as a whole has been only moderately successful. In many cities cleared land has remained unsold and undeveloped for years. Federal funding of urban renewal has also been greatly cut, shifting the financial burden to the state and city governments.