Between Eminence and Notoriety: Four Decades of Radical Urban Planning

In a career that spanned America’s turbulent journey from urban renewal through the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the ever-widening economic chasm that engulfed whole populations of the United States, Chester Hartman has worked tirelessly with grassroots activists and progressive planners to bring about meaningful social change. This is an anthology of his most important writings. Following a brief foreword by Jane Jacobs, a compelling autobiographical essay by Hartman contextualizes his work, reveals his motivations and perspective, and focuses on the frailty and foibles of the planning and policy professions. The essay sets the stage for the anthology of Hartman’s writings, organized into five parts: displacement and urban renewal; housing problems and policies; organizing and activism; poverty and race; and planning education. The thirty-two chapters accompany Hartman through four decades of planning and activism for social equity. Now director of research at the Washington, DC-based Poverty & Race Research Action Council, Hartman chronicles his work from a focus on gentrification and displacement to public and military-family housing; from interactions with Daniel Patrick Moynihan and James Q. Wilson to Paul Davidoff and Harvey Milk; to his founding of the Planners Network. Students, practitioners, historians, and political activists will find these essays informative, delightful, and inspiring.