Consensus and Compromise: Creating the First National Urban Policy under President Carter

"A Partnership to Conserve America's Communities" was the name President Jimmy Carter gave the first National Urban Policy when he presented it to Congress in March 1978. Based on the personal knowledge of the author, Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich, who was the executive director of the policy process, and the historical archives she preserved, this book analyzes the actions of Carter, HUD Secretary Patricia Roberts Harris, other Cabinet members, and the professionals leading the process. The focus is on the dynamics of the interactions among federal bureaucrats, public officials, urban advocates, and scholars that characterized the policy's development. Focusing on the process, rather than the substantive policies, Consensus and Compromise outlines the negotiation of power, principles, and priorities necessary to ensure the successful creation of the first National Urban Policy.