Final answer:
Robert Moses is controversial due to his urban redevelopment projects that displaced communities and created disconnected and unsafe urban environments. His focus on automobile-friendly infrastructures and disregard for the urban poor's needs has led to a criticized legacy in urban planning.
Step-by-step explanation:
Robert Moses and Urban Planning Controversy
Robert Moses is a controversial figure in urban planning and development due to his approaches that often resulted in large-scale displacement of poor and minority communities. His focus on projects such as highways often disrupted existing neighborhoods, leading to social and economic upheavals. The combination of Moses's top-down planning style, favoring automobiles and highways over public transportation, and his lack of consideration for the urban poor, has led to a legacy of planning that many decry for its negative impact on city fabrics. Projects like the Marlton Square redevelopment in the Crenshaw District exemplify the flaws in such urban renewal initiatives. They often involved corruption and mismanagement, leading to squandered funds and stalled developments. Urban renewal practices during Moses’s time were infamous for empty lots replacing once vibrant communities and creating disconnected and unsafe urban environments. Furthermore, Moses's work influenced the suburban sprawl, which was costly because infrastructure had to stretch over vast areas—costs that taxpayers, including inner-city property owners, bore, contributing to diminishing housing value in city centers and further driving suburban growth. The pushback against this growth led to advocacy for 'smarter' development and in-filling laws, attempting to counteract the checkerboard development patterns induced by such planning practices.