Yonkers' Planners Acted Ethically: Its Citizens and Politicians Acted Illegally
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1989
Publication Title
Journal of Planning Education and Research
Abstract
The city of Yonkers violated the Constitution by locating schools and public housing in ways that were prosegregative. Did the city's planners act unethically, using the Davidoff-Krumholz categorical imperative of redistribution as the ethical standard? Possibly yes, but I argue that the imperative is an irrelevant standard for a city's planners and conclude that Yonkers' planners acted ethically. The imperative is valuable as a personal moral reference point and is appropriate for judging the actions of elected and appointed officials. It is inappropriate, however, as a standard for evaluating public servants. Yonkers' planners provided best practice advice to political decision makers. They were ignored.
Repository Citation
Hill, Edward W., "Yonkers' Planners Acted Ethically: Its Citizens and Politicians Acted Illegally" (1989). All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications. 0 1 2 3 25.
https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/25
DOI
10.1177/0739456X8900800308
Volume
8
Issue
3
