Robert Moses had a greater impact in the development of New York City than any other person in the history of the city. During his time period, he developed so many different programs that modernized the infrastructure of the city. He shaped the city by building enormous landscape parks, bridges, highways, etc… but, at the same time he most likely didn’t think about all the negative outcomes that this could bring to the City of New York. Robert Moses’ ideas became very controversial as the years past. Some people thought he was a great person for creating this amazing type of transportation, but others took notice of all the negative effects that his ideas brought to the city.
One of the biggest benefits of Robert Moses’ development were the highways. By then, not a lot of people used to own cars around the suburban areas as well as in the city. the majority of people used to walk. But once the highways were created everything changed. These allowed people to move from one city to the other, especially for residents of suburban areas. The creation of the various highways made it much easier for them to actually travel to the city. They had freedom of movement and they had access to a variety of places that before where poorly visited because of the lack of mobility. Robert Moses’ ideas also lead to the creation of a lot of different jobs. Companies started to send trucks out to other places to deliver different things. On the other hand, this also brought a lot of negative effects, one of these was traffic. The traffic congestion intensified once a mass of automobiles were introduced to the population. Even today, we can still see the struggle and how the city spends money to make the streets wider and also to make more lanes. But every time more lanes are added, there is more traffic. Is this really a problem that can be fixed?
Robert Moses thought that his decisions were very good at the time that he made them. But was this really going to work later on? Now we can all see that it is working; yes there is traffic, and there might be people who disagreed with his ideas but what he did was genius. However now we can see the benefits of his ideas: different people from different parts can travel around without major problems, we can maintain a connection with the countryside, we can transport our children and even elderly people, we can actually go out on a weekends, or even go on vacation with our families. When I think about all these possibilities and all the great benefits that New York City enjoys today, I agree with the idea that Robert Moses left a big impact in the city but most important a legacy that will never end.
Work Cited
Ballon, Hilary, and Kenneth T. Jackson. “Introduction.” (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
“The Legacy of Robert Moses – City Clock.” City Clock Magazine. N.p., 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
i was born in Colombia in 1995 and I came to this country in 2010 when i was 15. it was really difficult for me because i have to leave everything and all the people i love but it was also an awesome experience because I learn new things and most important a new language
Maria, I agree with many points you made in your post. Moses did make the biggest impact on the shaping of New York and New York City. Like you said, he may not have thought about the negative impact he would have on the areas and people that lived in and around the areas he would completely transform. But, if he took into account every person and every point of view to his projects nothing would get done. He did what he thought would be for the greater good, or maybe he did it for the attention and fame not thinking about anyone but himself. Looking at all he accomplished now it is hard, at least for me, to see how New York could function without the LIE, other parkways, parks, pools, and beaches i grew up with and continue to use daily. But, like we discussed in class there will always be someone who is not happy and it is impossible to do anything completely for the greater good. The controversy you discussed will always hold true, but is it possible to do anything without any sort of controversy or someone being against your ideas?
Also, your point on how he made so many jobs with his projects. You mention the jobs he created after the fact but, like discussed in “Equipping The Public Realm” he also created thousands of construction, architectural, landscaping and engineering jobs for tens of thousands of the unemployed during the beginning stages. The jobs also continue today with those who travel on the bridges and highways to get to and from work, the drivers like you mentioned, and the upkeep and maintenance of the places all create jobs still today.
To answer the question of will what he did work in the future, i say yes. if anything the skepticism was in the beginning but today, it with out a doubt is needed and is working. Yes there is traffic and no matter how many lanes you add the cars keep coming. But that is not at the fault of Moses. Without all he created I think it would be worse, so to me, his legacy was something that can be looked at both ways at the time, but now it is a beneficial thing to all. He may have displaced many but look at how many he has helped by giving them public places to go, and not just the wealthy, and means of getting there and connecting the city as a whole.