Final answer:
Congress focused its housing policy on urban renewal in 1954, aiming to redevelop areas within large cities and provide decent housing. However, instead of building new homes, many vacant lots were used for other purposes, leading to a shortage of housing. Urban renewal projects often worsened poverty by displacing people without providing adequate alternatives.
Step-by-step explanation:
Congress focused its housing policy on urban renewal in 1954.
Urban renewal involved the redevelopment of areas within large cities, often involving the clearance of slums. The National Housing Act of 1949 aimed to provide decent housing for every American family. However, instead of building new homes, many newly vacant lots were used to construct parking lots, highways, parks, factories, and shopping centers, resulting in a shortage of new housing.
Urban renewal projects often displaced people without providing adequate housing alternatives, leading to the concentration of poverty in inner cities.