Urban redevelopment in Sacramento, California
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The
City of Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
, which serves as the state capital of California, was founded in December 1848 by John Sutter. The following year, California's Gold Rush brought an influx of "forty-niners" and, shortly thereafter, goods, services, and industry to meet the needs of the booming population. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Sacramento's commercial, industrial, government, and
residential A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...
uses flourished, creating a vibrant urban downtown. By the middle of the 20th century, however, much of historic downtown Sacramento had fallen into disrepair and neglect. This decline was driven by several factors, including disinvestment, white flight,
redlining In the United States, redlining is a discriminatory practice in which services (financial and otherwise) are withheld from potential customers who reside in neighborhoods classified as "hazardous" to investment; these neighborhoods have signif ...
, and inadequate maintenance of infrastructure. Residents began moving further east into the growing suburbs along the American River. Between 1950 and 1970, Sacramento experienced significant changes in its residential and commercial landscape due to
urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
efforts and highway development. The Federal Housing Act of 1949 aimed to eliminate substandard living conditions and provided subsidies for urban renewal projects. Initially focused on improving residential areas, amendments in 1954 shifted the emphasis to commercial development. Sacramento city planners capitalized on these changes to transform the West End into a commercial district. By 1950, almost 70 percent of the city's minority population lived in the West End with 87 percent of the city's Mexican residents, 75 percent of the city's Asian population (many of them Japanese returning from relocation camps), and 60 percent of the city's Black population residing there (Hernandez 2009). In addition to these redevelopment efforts, the construction of interstate highways further shaped the city's landscape and demographic patterns. The development of Interstate 5 and
Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
, along with
U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlanti ...
, created physical barriers that isolated certain neighborhoods, particularly those with high concentrations of minority residents. According to the 1950 U.S. Census, approximately 7,900 or 75 percent of the city's 10,700 non-White residents resided in census tracts directly affected by redevelopment and freeway construction (City of Sacramento).https://www.cityofsacramento.org/-/media/Corporate/Files/CDD/Planning/General-Plan/2040-General-Plan/Race_Place_Nov-2021.pdf?la=en In the span of two years, urban renewal initiatives completely razed 15 city blocks, primarily in the West End, while highway construction claimed over 100 city blocks in central Sacramento over a span of 20 years.https://themetropole.blog/2018/04/12/sacramento-city-of-redevelopments/ In 1950, 48% of West End residents were non-White, but by 1970, non-White residents accounted for only 5% of the West End population. Interest in urban redevelopment and historic preservation grew in the 1970s and began to take shape in the 1980s with the publicly financed renewal of
Old Sacramento Old Sacramento State Historic Park occupies around one third of the property within the Old Sacramento Historic District of Sacramento, California. The Old Sacramento Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District. The Historic ...
and the private development of several office buildings along the Capital Mall. After a slight lull in development due to the recession of the early 1990s, Mayor
Heather Fargo Heather Fargo (born December 12, 1952) is an American politician who served as mayor and was a former City Council Member of Sacramento, California. She was sworn in as mayor in November 2000, replacing Jimmie R. Yee, and served until December ...
made the downtown a pillar of her program in 2001. Since then, the increase in population, traffic, and housing values has increased interest in downtown living among metropolitan residents, making high-rise condominium living financially viable. A multitude of private and government developments have emerged in the capital city over the past two years.


References


External links


SkyscraperPage's Sacramento Discussion Forum (contains fairly reliable information and context)
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CADA (Capital Area Development Authority) website

City of Sacramento's Design Review and Preservation Board

City of Sacramento's Economic Development Department
Sacramento, California Redevelopment projects in the United States Urban planning in California Geography of Sacramento, California History of Sacramento, California {{California-stub