Urban Renewal in New York State

Urban Renewal in New York State explores the history and legacy of Urban Renewal in the state. Ninety communities in New York had Urban Renewal projects, including Geneva. While those projects promised to revitalize downtown areas and clear out slums, the program is often remembered as a traumatic period where the most vulnerable residents were stripped of their housing and private developers were given publicly subsidized deals on land grabs.

This New York Heritage exhibition was curated by David Hochfelder (University at Albany, SUNY) and Heidi Ziemer (WNYLRC) with additional contributions from Michael Green (WNYLRC), Caitlin Kenney (WNYLRC), and Claire Lovell (SCRLC). The exhibit was funded in part by Humanities New York with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Urban Renewal in New York State will be on display for the month of July 2026.