Robert Moses

Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was the master builder of 20th century New York City and its suburbs. As the shaper of a modern city, one of his few peers is Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and he was easily the most polarizing figure in the history of urban planning. Although he never held elective office, Moses was arguably the most powerful person in New York City government from the 1930s to the 1950s. Moses literally changed shorelines, built roadways in the sky, and transformed vibrant neighborhoods forever. His decisions favoring highways over public transport formed the modern suburbs of Long Island and influenced a generation of engineers, architects, and urban planners who spread his philosophies across the nation. Moses was not without his critics, however. These critics have pointed to many things that they say taint Moses' legacy. The most common criticisms of Moses include the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in New York City, contributing to the ruin of the South Bronx and the amusement parks of Coney Island, the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the decline of public transport. On the other hand, Moses' projects were also considered by many to be necessary for the region's development, and Moses participated in the construction of two huge World's Fairs, one in 1939 and the other in 1964. To Moses' critics, however, he will always be remembered for believing that "cities are for traffic," and "if the ends don't justify the means, what does?"

Post-war city planning

Moses' power increased after World War II, when, after the retirement of LaGuardia, a series of mayors consented to almost all of Moses' proposals. Named city "construction coordinator" in 1946 by Mayor William O'Dwyer, Moses also became the official representative of New York City in Washington, D.C.. Moses was also now given powers over public housing that had eluded him when LaGuardia was in charge. Moses' power grew even more when O'Dwyer was forced to resign in disgrace and was succeeded by Vincent R. Impellitteri, who was more than content to allow Moses to excercise his power over infastructure projects from behind the scenes. Moses was now the sole person authorized to negotiate in Washington for New York City projects. He could now remake New York for the automobile. Before Moses, most housing projects in New York were small scale (like the projects on the Queens side of the Queensboro Bridge). With Moses, projects grew to be the spartan, featureless skyscrapers now widely associated with public housing. By 1959, Moses had built 28,000 apartment units on hundreds of acres. Ironically, to clear the land for the high-rises, he often destroyed almost as many housing units as he built.

Related Topics:
World War II - 1946 - William O'Dwyer - Washington, D.C. - Public housing - Vincent R. Impellitteri - Queensboro Bridge - Skyscrapers - 1959

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From the 1930s to the 1960s, Moses was responsible for the building of the Throgs Neck, the Bronx-Whitestone, the Henry Hudson, and the Verrazano Narrows bridges. His other projects included the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Staten Island Expressway, the Cross-Bronx Expressway, the Belt Parkway, the Laurelton Parkway, and many more. He was the mover behind Shea Stadium and Lincoln Center, and contributed to the United Nations building.

Related Topics:
1960s - Throgs Neck - Bronx-Whitestone - Henry Hudson - Verrazano Narrows - Brooklyn-Queens Expressway - Staten Island Expressway - Cross-Bronx Expressway - Belt Parkway - Shea Stadium - Lincoln Center - United Nations - Los Angeles - Freeway - New Jersey

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Moses had direct influence outside the New York area as well. City planners in Portland, Oregon hired Moses to design a freeway network for that city in 1943; he responded by producing a design that called for nearly a dozen freeways crossing the city (which at the time had none). Only six of them were ever seriously considered, and four were built; two others were cancelled as a result of freeway revolts which occured in Portland in the late 60's and early 70's.

Related Topics:
Portland, Oregon - 1943 - Freeway revolts

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