Lessons for city renewal lie in the past

Right Reason
    By Matthew G. Alexander

Perhaps the most common complaint among prospec tive Yale students is that New Haven is a slum. They point to towns like Princeton and Cambridge, and indeed, New Haven compares unfavorably. What few realize, however, is that once—not all that long ago—New Haven was marked by thriving urban communities rather than by the decay that greets current visitors.

SHAWN CHENG/YH

While the city's decline has many causes, one of the principal causes has been the loss of community spirit. One can see the vestiges of such spirit in areas like Wooster Square and State Street, where people grew up and raised families, where children played and went to school together, and where local businesses were owned by neighbors who knew their customers and their lives. Not insignificantly, an important focus of these communities was the local church, and dedication to neighborhood and church nourished each other.

Populated largely by immigrants, New Haven was home to people who believed in the values behind "The American Dream," and this work ethic was the driving force behind the city's prosperity. Parents worked hard (often in the industrial plants and factories that had brought them to New Haven) so that their children could have better lives than they had themselves. And, though proud of their heritage and ethnic identity, they strove to become Americans. Institutions, shared beliefs, and experiences like these helped connect people to each other and to the community that they collectively formed; in short, it gave them roots.

So what happened to cause the decay so evident now? Well, in part, it is actually a success story. Those parents succeeded in making a better life for their children, and those children subsequently moved away to the suburbs. But that is where the good news ends. The disadvantaged groups that followed did not have the same opportunities that their precursors enjoyed. The federal government interfered and squelched their work ethic with welfare programs that rewarded unemployment, and, just as insidiously, undermined the family by rewarding illegitimacy and punishing marriage.

Lest these assertions seem like exaggerations or rhetorical flourish, an illustration is in order. According to the Heritage Foundation, a young woman with two out-of-wedlock children would receive $13,000 per year under the old welfare system, but if the father of her children married her and got a decent job, the benefits would be exchanged for tax bills. The result? As opposed to the 7.7 percent before the institution of welfare, now 32 percent of American births occur out of wedlock, and the numbers are even more pronounced among low-income populations. Thus, dependence on a distant Washington has replaced New Haven's spirit of localism, self-reliance, and community support.

Rather than relying on federal handouts, the rebirth of New Haven must start from within the community. Those old neighborhood institutions need to reassert themselves and help forge the bonds anew.

There is anecdotal evidence that this is occuring already: one resonant example is the priest from Sacred Heart Church who, along with a few of his parishioners, shut down a crack house plaguing their community. Unfortunately, many of these same community parishes are slated for consolidation or closure in the coming years.

What the city government can do to help is to facilitate the development and survival of local businesses alongside local ownership. No Shaw's can replace Cavaliere's grocery and no Dunkin Donuts can take the place of Libby's bakery, because local businesses offer specific and unique goods and services that are attuned to the needs of the community. One very promising development came with the announcement last year that the Williams Specialty Steel and Yukon ReSteel corporations plan to build mills in New Haven, bringing with them hundreds of well-paying jobs for city residents.

Though the previous era in New Haven's history was not perfect, it was certainly better than the years that have succeeded it. But if New Haven can once again rekindle its community spirit with a strong base of jobs, working people, and neighborhood and religious institutions, the city's fortunes can only improve.

Recent Herald Columns by this Columnist:
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• Yale's Co-op policy: waging war, 9/10/99

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