From Silence to Sankofa: The Role of Archives in Addressing Urban Renewal’s Displacement History

Abstract

In the post-World War II era, urban renewal was designed as a path towards the revitalization of American cities through public investment into the redevelopment of ‘blighted’ areas. Through eminent domain takings, urban renewal projects led to the forced relocation of residents from their homes and neighborhoods, with a disproportionate impact on Black, immigrant, and low-income communities across the country. The archives of the renewal period hold the story of this widespread displacement and are of significant value for contemporary planning practice. Through the lens of two case studies, this thesis explores how and why urban renewal archives are being revisited today to address this displacement history through institutional and community approaches to memorialization. In Cambridge, MA, the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) is an example of an agency drawing on its own archive to publicize its role in past forced relocation through its use of eminent domain. In Rochester, NY, Clarissa Uprooted is a public history and community building project centered around the story of Clarissa Street, a historically Black neighborhood that was demolished for renewal in the 1960s. Through document analysis and interviews, I examine how these efforts to activate urban renewal archives and better understand the scope and impact of forced relocation provide avenues for planners and community members to remember the past, acknowledge systemic harms, and reflect on repair. Despite the different positionalities of the CRA and Clarissa Uprooted, a comparative approach also highlights how both organizations have created opportunities to unearth histories of dissent to urban renewal, more fully recognize the legacy of commercial displacement, and imagine avenues to planning, policy, and institutional change. This research demonstrates the significance of local archival initiatives that draw upon the past to better position planners and communities to face the urban challenges and inequities of the present and future.