Description
<p>In 1956 city planning consultant Charles K. Agle published a book entitled: <i>A Master Plan for the Central Business and Financial District, Norfolk, Virginia</i>, in which this photograph of a physical city model appeared. Painted wooden blocks, carved to fit the map, represented the value and uses of different parcels of land. The more valuable the parcel, the taller the block. Different colors signified different types of land use. The main highlight that Agle took away from the model was that there was an exaggerated difference in value between certain areas of downtown Norfolk, and that urban renewal funding could help even out property values. In practice, that meant permanently displacing many Black residents of the downtown area.</p>
