ABSTRACT
US Urban policy emerged during the Great Depression of the 1930s to provide subsidized housing for the poor and expanded during the post-World War II era to redevelop and modernize older cities. In the 1960s the US Department of Housing and Urban Development was formed to provide resources and planning for the economic and social development of cities and urban populations. Since 1980, the federal government has de-emphasized urban development, tending to distribute federal funds to cities and towns to use for projects of their choosing.
Urban planning in the US has been influenced by several strains of thought, including Garden Cities, the International Style, and the City Beautiful Movement. A contemporary philosophy called the New Urbanism minimizes sprawl by clustering houses, facilitating bicycling, and mixing land uses so that basic goods and services are located within walking distance of most homes.
