Editing 78-03-B3 (section)

= Neighborhoods =

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=== Transcript ===
Last December, President Carter named the 16 persons who, along with four
members of Congress, serve on the new National Commission on Neighborhoods.
Now, it is no secret that Presidential commissions have, as often as not, been
devices for either generating support for a President's existing policies or for
sweeping unpleasant issues under the rug for awhile. But, this new commission
just may turn out to be different.

We all know the importance of preserving strong urban neighborhoods. For millions
of city residents their neighborhood is far more than just the location of a home
or apartment. The neighborhood scale is a human scale--a place where the real
spirit of a community can develop. Many neighborhoods are rich in tradition
and memories. And, in many, there is a mixture of generations and functions,
so that activity is continuous. This, in turn, works to keep crime down when,
as one urban planning critic described it, there are "eyes on the street"; eyes
of grandparents and shopkeepers who watch the passing parade.

Neighborhoods can provide a sense of roots. It is the home of the fraternal
lodge, the church, the deli, the corner pub, the street festival, the Fourth
of July celebration.

The legislation that created the Neighborhoods commission recognized all this and
more. It recognized that foolish government policies over the past several decades
have often worked to undermine, even destroy established neighborhoods, building
codes, zoning laws, highway construction, urban renewal, federal mortgage insurance,
the so-called model cities program, forced school busing--these and other factors
have often combined to depress the value of neighborhoods and undercut the fullness
of their life.

Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire, a member of the new commission, commented
on this at a Senate hearing when he said to a witness, "You would probably have
better neighborhoods today if there had been no federal programs at all!" Amen to
that!

Congress has given the new Presidential commission the responsibility for
assessing the impact of all this governmental activity on urban neighborhoods
and to make recommendations for sweeping away the obstacles that face people who
try to keep up their neighborhoods.

Quite a few of the commission's members seem committed to that point of view,
including its chairman, Massachusetts State Senator Joseph Timilty.
A particular target of commission disapproval is likely to be H.U.D.--the federal
Housing and Urban Affairs department.

What America's neighborhoods need, of course, is not a massive "delivery of
services" from government, but a massive rebirth of opportunity. That could
begin with the new national Commission on Neighborhoods. Let's hope so. 

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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=== Details ===
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<TR><TD WIDTH="150">Batch Number</TD><TD WIDTH="150">{{PAGENAME}}</TD></TR>
<TD>Production Date</TD><TD>02/20/[[Radio1978|1978]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Book/Page</TD><TD>[https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/2024-07/40-656-7386263-014-007-2024.pdf#PAGE=44 Online PDF]</TD></TR>
<TD>Audio</TD><TD></TD></TR>
<TD>Youtube?</TD><TD>No</TD></TR>
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===Added Notes===

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