Dukakis Speaks on Urban Renewal

Governor Michael S. Dukakis, speaking last night at the Law School, listed some of the goals and achievements of his administration in the area of urban revitalization.

Dukakis stressed the importance of state planning for urban renewal in small and medium-sized cities, including Cambridge. "The smaller cities all are suffering from the same ills that we have associated with big cities since the '60s," he said.

Dukakis said that in response to the concerns and requests of local communities, his administration produced a "state growth policy" focusing on growth opportunities in cities rather than in suburbs.

Occasional Regulation

His administration attempted to use its executive regulatory authority "in a few rare cases" to block development in suburban areas in order to concentrate growth in cities, Dukakis said.

He cited the location of a new shopping mall in Pittsfield and the location of the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Worcester as two successful redirections of funds to encourage urban revitalization.

Dukakis said he hoped that urban revitalization programs similar to those under his administration would be carried out at a federal level but added that it was vital that states be directly involved in urban programs.

In a question-and-answer period following his speech, Dukakis said improvements in mass transportation, including the extension of the Red Line through Cambridge, were a vital part of urban renewal.