In 1959, a "slum clearance plan" in Manhattan's Lower East Side was announced, threatening to displace 2,400 families and dozens of businesses. A working mother named Frances Goldin and her neighbors formed the Cooper Square Committee to save their neighborhood. Over five decades, they fought against various forces to develop a vision of community control and eventually established the state's first community land trust, creating a permanently affordable neighborhood.
Rabble Rousers
The 1959 "slum clearance plan" in New York City, led by Robert Moses, resulted in the relocation of 2,400 families and numerous businesses from Manhattan's Lower East Side, specifically the Cooper Square area.
