Greenbelt Communities
Filed in: Greenbelt Communities
The three greenbelt communities are Greenbelt, Maryland, out-side Washington, D.C.; Greenhills, Ohio, north of Cincinnati; and Greendale, Wisconsin.
The greenbelt communities received widespread praise for their innovative designs, but because influential private real estate interests strongly opposed such development, no others were built. Following World War II, Congress ordered the U.S. Housing Administration to sell the towns. Many residents of Greenhills and Greendale purchased their dwellings. The greenbelt lands, nearly all of which lay outside the village boundaries, were bought by real estate developers, who covered them with more expensive houses.
Today, Greendale is the oldest and wealthiest of the three Greendbelt towns. Greenhills remains the smallest town, and many of its original homes are deteriorating and being razed. The largest of the towns, Greenbelt, has evolved into a more diverse area than its sisters, with African Americans representing 63 percent of the population.
The greenbelt communities received widespread praise for their innovative designs, but because influential private real estate interests strongly opposed such development, no others were built. Following World War II, Congress ordered the U.S. Housing Administration to sell the towns. Many residents of Greenhills and Greendale purchased their dwellings. The greenbelt lands, nearly all of which lay outside the village boundaries, were bought by real estate developers, who covered them with more expensive houses.
Today, Greendale is the oldest and wealthiest of the three Greendbelt towns. Greenhills remains the smallest town, and many of its original homes are deteriorating and being razed. The largest of the towns, Greenbelt, has evolved into a more diverse area than its sisters, with African Americans representing 63 percent of the population.