Race, urban governance, and crime control: creating model cities

Area of Science:

• Urban Studies
• Legal Geography
• Sociology

Background:

• The Model Cities program (1960s-70s) in Seattle aimed to address racial disenfranchisement and strained local government-community relations.
• Federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development supported urban renewal initiatives.

Observation:

• Residents of Seattle's designated "model neighborhood" advocated for a law and justice task force.
• Two specific projects emerged: a Consumer Protection program and a Community Service Officer project.

Findings:

• Both law and justice projects failed to meet residents' objectives.
• The failure is attributed to the "geographical imagination" of urban problems, framing the neighborhood as exceptional.
• This exceptionality justified extraordinary state interventions, mirroring contemporary law-and-order approaches.

Implications:

• The Model Cities project illustrates a historical precedent for mass incarceration.
• The "geographical imagination" of crime can reinforce racialized power structures.
• Understanding this historical context is crucial for contemporary urban policy and community-police relations.