Research


Administrative History

The Model Cities Program was a federal program initiated in 1966 by the enactment of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act. The program was overseen by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as an element of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty" program. The program was designed to coordinate various existing federal urban improvement programs in a holistic approach to improving cities. Federal grants would be made to municipalities, but the disbursement of the funds would be controlled by city demonstration agencies comprised of elected officials, low-income persons, and representatives of community organizations. Originally, the program was designed to focus on a few "demonstration cities," but the program became a popular "carrot" in legislative deal-making. By 1967 there were 150 cities involved in the program, which had the effect of diluting the impact of the program's funding. In addition, the program was often unpopular with state and municipal governments, which felt that the city demonstration agencies usurped their authority and allowed for direct federal control of cities. In 1974, the Model Cities Program was merged with other urban renewal programs administered by HUD to form the Community Development Block Grant program.