Robert Moses

This is about the urban planner; for other uses, see Robert Moses (disambiguation) . Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City , Long Island , Rockland County , and Westchester County , New York. As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of urban planning in the United States. He changed shorelines, built bridges, tunnels and roadways, and transformed neighborhoods forever. His decisions favoring highways over public transit helped create the modern suburbs of Long Island and influenced a generation of engineers , architects , and urban planners who spread his philosophies across the nation. Moses' projects were considered by many to be necessary for the region's development after being hit hard by the Great Depression . During the height of his powers, New York City participated in the construction of two huge World's Fairs : one in 1939 and the other in 1964 . Moses was also in large part responsible for the United Nations ' decision to headquarter in Manhattan as opposed to Philadelphia . His supporters believe he made the city viable for the 21st century by building an infrastructure that most people wanted and that has endured. His critics claim that he preferred automobiles to people, that he displaced hundreds of thousands of residents in New York City, uprooted traditional neighborhoods by building expressways through them, contributed to the ruin of the South Bronx and the amusement parks of Coney Island , caused the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants Major League baseball teams, and precipitated the decline of public transport through disinvestment and neglect.

As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and was arguably one of the most polarizing figures in the history of urban planning in the United States. His decisions favoring highways over public transit helped create the modern suburbs of Long Island and influenced a generation of engineers , architects , and urban planners who spread his philosophies across the nation. One of his major contributions to urban planning was New York's large parkway network. Although Moses was never elected to any public office (his only attempt at public office came when he ran for governor of New York as a Republican in 1934 and lost by a significant margin), he was responsible for the creation and leadership of numerous public authorities which gave him autonomy from the general public and elected officials. It is due to Moses that New York has a greater proportion of public benefit corporations than any other US state, making them the prime mode of infrastructure building and maintenance in New York, accounting for 90% of the state's debt. As head of various authorities, he controlled millions in income from his projects' revenue generation, such as tolls, and he had the power to issue bonds to borrow vast sums, allowing him to initiate new ventures with little or no input from legislative bodies. This allowed him to circumvent the power of the purse as it normally functioned in the United States, and the process of public comment on major public works . Moses' projects were considered by many to be necessary for the region's development after being hit hard by the Great Depression . During the height of his powers, New York City participated in the construction of two World's Fairs : one in 1939 and the other in 1964 . Moses was also in large part responsible for the United Nations ' decision to locate its headquarters in Manhattan , as opposed to Philadelphia , by helping the state secure the money and land needed for the project.

American urban planner and public official For other uses, see Robert Moses (disambiguation) . Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American public official who worked mainly in the New York metropolitan area . Known as the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City , Long Island , Rockland County , and Westchester County , he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris , and was one of the most polarizing figures in the history of urban development in the United States. His decisions favoring highways over public transit helped create the modern suburbs of Long Island and influenced a generation of engineers , architects , and urban planners who spread his philosophies across the nation despite his not having been trained in those professions. Moses would call himself a "coordinator" and was referred to in the media as a "master builder". Robert Moses at one point held 12 titles simultaneously (including New York City Parks Commissioner and Chairman of the Long Island State Park Commission ) , but was never elected to any public office ( he ran only once , for governor of New York as a Republican in 1934 and lost to Herbert H. Lehman in a landslide). Nevertheless, he created and led numerous public authorities that gave him autonomy from the general public and elected officials. Through these authorities, he controlled millions of dollars in income from his projects, such as tolls, and he could issue bonds to borrow vast sums for new ventures with little or no input from legislative bodies. This removed him from the power of the purse as it normally functioned in the United States, and from the process of public comment on major public works . As a result of Moses' work, New York has the United States' greatest proportion of public benefit corporations , which are the prime mode of infrastructure building and maintenance in New York and account for most of the state's debt. Moses' projects were considered by many to be necessary for the region's development after the Great Depression . During the height of his powers, New York City built campuses to host two World's Fairs : one in 1939 and the other in 1964 . Moses also helped persuade the United Nations to locate its headquarters in Manhattan , instead of in Philadelphia , by helping the state secure the money and land needed for the project. Moses' reputation for efficiency and nonpartisan leadership was permanently damaged by Robert Caro 's Pulitzer -winning biography The Power Broker (1974), which accused Moses of a lust for power, questionable ethics, vindictiveness and racism. The New York Times . The New York Times . Need to Know | PBS . "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro review – a landmark study" .

American urban planner (1888–1981) For other people named Robert Moses, see Robert Moses (disambiguation) . Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential individuals in the history of New York City and New York State. The grand scale of his infrastructural projects and his philosophy of urban development influenced a generation of engineers, architects, and urban planners across the United States. Moses held various positions throughout his more than forty-year long career. He at times held up to 12 titles simultaneously, including New York City Parks Commissioner and chairman of the Long Island State Park Commission . Having worked closely with New York governor Al Smith early in his career, Moses became expert in writing laws and navigating and manipulating the inner workings of state government. He created and led numerous semi-autonomous public authorities , through which he controlled millions of dollars in revenue and directly issued bonds to fund new ventures with little outside input or oversight. Moses's projects transformed the New York area and revolutionized the way cities in the U.S. were designed and built. As Long Island State Park Commissioner, Moses oversaw the construction of Jones Beach State Park , the most visited public beach in the United States, and was the primary architect of the New York State Parkway System . As head of the Triborough Bridge Authority , Moses had near-complete control over bridges and tunnels in New York City as well as the tolls collected from them, and built, among others, the Triborough Bridge , the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel , and the Throgs Neck Bridge , as well as several major highways. These roadways and bridges, alongside urban renewal efforts that saw the destruction of huge swaths of tenement housing and their replacement with large public housing projects , transformed the physical fabric of New York and inspired other cities to undertake similar development endeavors. Moses's reputation declined following the publication of Robert Caro 's Pulitzer Prize -winning biography The Power Broker (1974), which cast doubt on the purported benefits of many of Moses's projects and further cast Moses as racist. In large part because of The Power Broker , Moses is today considered a controversial figure in the history of New York City. Robert Caro, The Power Broker , 1975. Need to Know | PBS .

American urban planner (1888–1981) For other people named Robert Moses, see Robert Moses (disambiguation) . Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid-20th century. Moses is regarded as one of the most powerful and influential people in the history of New York City and New York state . The grand scale of his infrastructure projects and his philosophy of urban development influenced a generation of engineers, architects, and urban planners across the United States. Never elected to any public office, Moses held various positions throughout his more-than-40-year career. He held as many as 12 titles at once, including New York City Parks Commissioner and chairman of the Long Island State Park Commission . By working closely with New York governor Al Smith early in his career, he became an expert in writing laws and navigating and manipulating the workings of state government. He created and led numerous semi-autonomous public authorities , through which he controlled millions of dollars in revenue and directly issued bonds to fund new ventures with little outside input or oversight. Moses's projects transformed the New York area and revolutionized the way cities in the U.S. were designed and built. As Long Island State Park Commissioner, Moses oversaw the construction of Jones Beach State Park , the most-visited public beach in the United States, and was the primary architect of the New York State Parkway System . As head of the Triborough Bridge Authority , Moses had near-complete control over bridges and tunnels in New York City as well as the tolls collected from them; he was responsible for, among others, the Triborough Bridge , the Brooklyn–Battery Tunnel , and the Throgs Neck Bridge , as well as several major highways. These roadways and bridges, alongside urban renewal efforts that destroyed huge swaths of tenement housing and replaced them with large public housing projects , transformed the physical fabric of New York and inspired other cities to undertake similar development endeavors. Moses's reputation declined after the publication of Robert Caro 's Pulitzer Prize -winning biography The Power Broker (1974), which cast doubt on the purported benefits of many of Moses's projects and further cast Moses as racist . In large part because of The Power Broker , Moses is today considered a controversial figure in the history of New York City as well as New York State. Robert Caro, The Power Broker , 1975. Need to Know | PBS .