Between Justice and Beauty

As the only American city under direct congressional control, Washington has served historically as a testing ground for federal policy initiatives and social experiments--with decidedly mixed results. Well-intentioned efforts to introduce measures of social justice for the district's largely black population have failed. Yet federal plans and federal money have successfully created a large federal presence--a triumph, argues Howard Gillette, of beauty over justice. In a new afterword,...
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As the only American city under direct congressional control, Washington has served historically as a testing ground for federal policy initiatives and social experiments--with decidedly mixed results. Well-intentioned efforts to introduce measures of social justice for the district's largely black population have failed. Yet federal plans and federal money have successfully created a large federal presence--a triumph, argues Howard Gillette, of beauty over justice. In a new afterword, Gillette addresses the recent revitalization and the aftereffects of an urban sports arena.