Impact of Robert Moses' Urban Planning on Black Neighborhoods

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The chapter explores how Robert Moses, a prominent public official, intentionally excluded black neighborhoods in New York City from receiving essential recreational facilities like playgrounds and swimming pools in the 1930s, showcasing systemic racism in urban planning decisions. It delves into Moses' discriminatory practices in the allocation of resources and the negative consequences of his infrastructure projects on marginalized communities. The chapter also discusses the long-term effects of prioritizing car-centric infrastructure over community-focused urban planning, leading to neighborhood displacement and social decay.

This is the sixth official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro.

This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Mike Schur, who created the critically acclaimed NBC comedy The Good Place, and co-created Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99, Rutherford Falls, and Netflix’s upcoming, A Classic Spy. Prior to Parks, Michael spent four years as a writer-producer on the Emmy Award-winning NBC hit The Office.

Mike also happens to be a big fan of The Power Broker, and has cited the book as his inspiration behind Parks & Rec.

On today’s show, Elliott Kalan and Roman Mars will cover the first section of Part 5 (Chapter 25 through Chapter 26), discussing the major story beats and themes.

The Power Broker #6: Mike Schur

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