Division and diversity: Community transition in postwar America, 1945--1970. New Rochelle, New York, a case study

This dissertation uses New Rochelle, New York, as a case study to examine the accommodation of diverse racial and socioeconomic groups in the transitional postwar decades. It questions whether inner ring suburbs with varied populations and active urban renewal programs experienced the same fate as central cities, with white flight syndrome and all of its negative ramifications. To explore this phenomenon, it focuses on three pivotal events: the advent of public housing, a school desegregation lawsuit, and urban renewal. The debates on these issues reveal the attitudes and perceptions of the city fathers and delineate the vision of the postwar municipality. The impact of community groups and the role of civic image on policymaking are considered. Finally, the thesis illustrates the increased leverage of African Americans, particularly in regard to education and housing.; New Rochelle sustained its demographic and economic heterogeneity through a prevailing consensus of racial tolerance, even though it may not always have been evident. It voluntarily incorporated low-income shelter, resolved the school crisis rapidly, and complied with the requests of African Americans in certain aspects of urban renewal. A dynamic mayor who served five terms between 1940 and 1970 facilitated the adoption of public housing, whereas a lack of coordination among three administrations that oversaw urban renewal resulted in more limited accomplishments. Paradoxically, although harmony between blacks and whites remained a hallmark of New Rochelle, the school desegregation lawsuit proved the most contentious.; Pragmatic and fiscal concerns propelled the implementation of federal programs, but a sense of humanitarianism was evident in the provision of housing for the poor and the relocation of the dispossessed in urban renewal. Although social class and racial tensions existed among the diverse segments, civility prevailed throughout the episodes and set a precedent for negotiation in the second half of the twentieth century.