AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Benton Place Prototype Anecdote
- Benton Place is a small residential cul-de-sac with beautifully restored historic homes and gated entry.
- It served as a prototype for deed restrictions controlling architecture, class, and race in housing.
Rise of Large Gated Subdivisions
- Julius Pittsman designed more than 45 private gated streets in St. Louis, scaling single cul-de-sacs into large, closed subdivisions.
- These developments were heavily restricted by deed covenants to keep neighborhoods racially and economically exclusive.
Federal Role in Segregated Suburbs
- Post-WWII suburban development featured curved streets, limited access, and mandatory housing restrictions enforced by the FHA.
- The government explicitly subsidized these whites-only communities, entrenching racial segregation.