One of the most elusive goals in cities today is how to create affordable housing for working and middle class residents. It's something we hear about in cities from expensive San Francisco to relatively affordable Pittsburgh, and is increasingly an issue in places such as Dallas, Houston and Miami. We'll examine different aspects of housing in the Saving the City documentary series about how to make cities better places, as we continue production and fundraising. While filming in Philadelphia, we ran into the fascinating story of Yorktown, a pioneering community from the late 1950s and early 1960s where redevelopment mostly got things right. Yorktown was envisioned as an integrated new neighborhood for middle class and first-time homebuyers in the heart of the city. Most notably, it attracted Black buyers, who were shut out of other parts of Philadelphia and its suburbs. They bought most of the new homes in Yorktown and were able to participate in the American dream of stable home ownership. |
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Comprised of 635 single-family homes, Yorktown continues to fulfill its original mission today even as there is turnover from the original homebuyers, several of whom we interviewed for our story. A handful of other 1960s redevelopment projects aimed at creating integrated middle-class communities also remain desirable places to live, such as Lafayette Park in Detroit and St Francis Square in San Francisco. So it can be done. Check out our Yorktown preview video. And our newsletter archive is here. Below is Detroit's Lafayette Park, designed by Mies van der Rohe. |
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After watching Saving the City, you will never look at cities the same way again. We hope you will be inspired to make a difference in your local communities. Check out our work and let us know what you think. We're always hungry for more stories and refer us to people we should know about. And please share this newsletter with friends and family. |
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Thanks to generous funding from the William Penn, Packard, Hewlett, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Foundations, Heinz Endowments, an Urban Land Institute leadership group and individuals led by George Miller and Chris Larsen, we have raised over $900,000 to date. A more complete list of contributors is here. Help us raise the remaining $400,000 needed to complete our introductory episodes as we're expecting to start releasing programs this Fall. All funds go through the International Documentary Association, a 501c(3) non-profit. |
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A big thank you to Richard Frank of San Francisco for providing production support. |
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"It is difficult to design a place that will not attract people. What is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished." William H (Holly) Whyte – author and noted city observer |
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Meet Rochelle Johnson Gray, who grew up in Yorktown and later moved back to the neighborhood. |
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Copyright 2023 © Ronald M. Blatman, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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