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Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

Report on Urban Renewal Programs and Their Effects on Racial Minority Group Housing in Three Iowa Cities - Page 7

In a booklet published in 1959 in support of Urban Renewal for Des Moines, Iowa,4 a section called "Citizen Participation" reports on the subject of communication between the Urban Renewal Board and the public.

An essential ingredient of a successful Urban Renewal Program is public understanding and support . . .
During the past year, members of the Urban Renewal Board, who have responded to any requests to participate in conferences, meetings, and discussions on Urban Renewal activities and to deliver information on the program to interested local agencies and groups addressed during the past twelve months, are . . .

There followed a list of about 44 groups before whom members of the Board had spoken. About five of them can be identified as having Negro members. The NAACP, nevertheless, continues to protest that people in the socio-economic level represented in the River Hills Area are not adequately reached through the press and through groups such as those mentioned in the booklet.

The Iowa State Advisory Committee has also sought to document the nature of these complaints from the public utterances and reports of them in the press.
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The Des Moines Tribune reported that some of the residents in the proposed Oakridge Project refused to permit appraisal of their properties. Walter T. Potts, Jr., of Iowa Appraisal and Research Corporation, said his firm, in some preliminary work in Oakridge, had difficulty with some residents who refused to permit inspection or measurement of their property.

"It's a matter of misunderstanding," he said, explaining that a number of residents believe that all Oakridge work has stopped because of the council's indication that the project will be delayed three or four years. It would appear that communication between the Urban Renewal staff and the residents of the area, most of whom are nonwhite, continues to be poor.
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4. Let There Be Light Instead of Blight: A Workable Program for Urban Renewal, Des Moines, Ia., Dept. of Redevelopment and Housing, Des Moines, Ia. 1959.

5. Nov. 3, 1962.


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In a booklet published in 1959 in support of Urban Renewal for Des Moines, Iowa,4 a section called "Citizen Participation" reports on the subject of communication between the Urban Renewal Board and the public. An essential ingredient of a successful Urban Renewal Program is public understanding and support . . . During the past year, members of the Urban Renewal Board, who have responded to any requests to participate in conferences, meetings, and discussions on Urban Renewal activities and to deliver information on the program to interested local agencies and groups addressed during the past twelve months, are . . . There followed a list of about 44 groups before whom members of the Board had spoken. About five of them can be identified as having Negro members. The NAACP, nevertheless, continues to protest that people in the socio-economic level represented in the River Hills Area are not adequately reached through the press and through groups such as those mentioned in the booklet. The Iowa State Advisory Committee has also sought to document the nature of these complaints from the public utterances and reports of them in the press. 5 The Des Moines Tribune reported that some of the residents in the proposed Oakridge Project refused to permit appraisal of their properties. Walter T. Potts, Jr., of Iowa Appraisal and Research Corporation, said his firm, in some preliminary work in Oakridge, had difficulty with some residents who refused to permit inspection or measurement of their property. "It's a matter of misunderstanding," he said, explaining that a number of residents believe that all Oakridge work has stopped because of the council's indication that the project will be delayed three or four years. It would appear that communication between the Urban Renewal staff and the residents of the area, most of whom are nonwhite, continues to be poor. _________ 4. Let There Be Light Instead of Blight: A Workable Program for Urban Renewal, Des Moines, Ia., Dept. of Redevelopment and Housing, Des Moines, Ia. 1959. 5. Nov. 3, 1962. 7