Harlem and the 1967 “New City” Exhibition

Abstract

Harlem, the site where mostly black residents live by choice and historical circumstance, was designated for renewal in an exhibition hosted by the Museum of Modern Art (1967). Although a revisionist urban renewal was planned by four university teams, there was a problem of what would be the best for Harlemites. Cornell, Princeton, Columbia, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology each set forth unique ideological schemes, but only the latter two were visibly and socially feasible for the community. Analyzing these plans and discussing Harlem’s predicament with which the architects were sympathetic, form the crux of the article.