University of Chicago. Center for Urban Studies. Records

Historical Note

The Center for Urban Studies was established by the University of Chicago in 1963, funded with federal grants. In 1967 the Center, then under the direction of faculty member and urban planner Jack Meltzer, set up a colloquium to discuss issues facing neighbouring Woodlawn. The Woodlawn Organization, founded in 1960 to promote the community's "self-determination" – and to oppose University expansion into the neighbourhood – partnered with the Center that same year. Although Chicago had received funding from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Model Cities Program, TWO did not find the official role they hoped for in the city's planning process. The result was a collaboration between TWO and the Center to develop the Woodlawn Model Cities Plan, drafted in the fall of 1968. The proposal placed importance on the role of community members in developing policy. It called for a move away from the fragmented provision of social services dominated by specialized professions, embracing instead a focus on the whole individual.