Muni; Cooper Union Forum; Roger William Riis and the "Battle of the Slums"
- Collection
- Muni
- Series
- Cooper Union Forum
- Contributing Organization
- WNYC (New York, New York)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/510-v11vd6q071
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- Description
- Description
- Recorded at Cooper Union Hall, Rodger William Riis speaks about issues in low-income housing in the present day versus 50 years ago. This speech is a tribute to his father, Jacob Riis, who gave a talk on the topic of "slum" housing at Cooper Union Hall fifty years prior. He describes obstacles to decent and affordable housing as "dragons." According to Roger William Riis, fifty years ago, the dragons in the way of slum clearance were landowner greed, indifference from the public, lack of housing laws and codes, corruption and race discrimination. The dragons of 1950 are somewhat similar: cost of development, race discrimination, new or temporary homes for dispossessed people, need for long-range city planning, narrow minded realtors and bankers, and greed of those in the housing industry. He insists that progress has been made and that these dragons are not insurmountable. Riis emphasizes segregation and unfair housing practices of African American citizens. He provides examples and statistics of black tenants being charged more than white tenants and given deplorable options for housing. The lecture is followed by a heated question and answer session. Audience members comment on topics such as the role of free enterprise, building on vacant land, the role of the government , transitional housing and the need for practical idealism
- Description
- 4 albums, 6s.
- Broadcast Date
- 1950-01-08
- Genres
- Event Coverage
- Topics
- History
- Local Communities
- Subjects
- Low-income housing.; Urban renewal.; Discrimination in housing--New York (State)--New York.; Segregation.; African Americans--Social conditions.
- Rights
- Owner/Custodial History: Municipal Archives; Acquisition Source: Municipal Archives; Terms of Use and Reproduction: Municipal Archives
- Media type
- Sound
- Duration
- 00:00:00
- Credits
-
-
Host: Fairchild, Johnson E.
Speaker: Riis, Roger William, 1894-1953
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WNYC-FM
Identifier: 150177.1 (WNYC Media Archive Label)
Format: BWF
Generation: Transcription disc
Duration: 00:00:00
-
WNYC-FM
Identifier: 150177.2 (WNYC Media Archive Label)
Format: BWF
Generation: Transcription disc
Duration: 00:00:00
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- Citations
- Chicago: “Muni; Cooper Union Forum; Roger William Riis and the "Battle of the Slums",” 1950-01-08, WNYC, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 20, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-510-v11vd6q071.
- MLA: “Muni; Cooper Union Forum; Roger William Riis and the "Battle of the Slums".” 1950-01-08. WNYC, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 20, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-510-v11vd6q071>.
- APA: Muni; Cooper Union Forum; Roger William Riis and the "Battle of the Slums". Boston, MA: WNYC, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-510-v11vd6q071