| This is a retrospective case study of the urban redevelopment's impact in the Plains Neighborhood of Lawrence. MA. It investigates the Lawrence Redevelopment Authority and city officials' actions to use eminent domain for a perceived public benefit, via a top down approach, to revitalize the city throughout the 1960s. The research presented herein illustrates powerful institutions and local government's actions toward a vulnerable immigrant community, with an undercurrent of gentrification which lies beneath the goals to revitalize Lawrence, MA. It investigates the clash of differing ideals and perceptions of blight, growth, and what is a desirable community. Topics of why this area was chosen, what events lead up to urban redevelopment, as well as the motive, goals and ramifications of neighborhood clearance will be covered. Embracing a strong qualitative methodology, incorporated within are a variety of data collection techniques: seven oral histories, document analyses of administrative records, media investigation of pertinent newspaper articles, as well as quantitative analysis and archival research to uncover how the program impacted the city and its' residents. |
