Mel Ravitz

Last updated
Dr. Melvin Ravitz
Member of the Detroit City Council
Personal details
Died2010
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Political party Democratic
ProfessionPolitician, Sociologist, Professor

Dr. Melvin Ravitz was a professor, progressive politician, sociologist, and community advocate who served in various positions in the Detroit city government during the second half of the twentieth century. He worked to include citizen voices in the debate over urban renewal, both from the perspective of an academic and a civil servant.

Detroit Largest city in Michigan

Detroit is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the largest United States city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of Wayne County. The municipality of Detroit had a 2017 estimated population of 673,104, making it the 23rd-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area. Regarded as a major cultural center, Detroit is known for its contributions to music and as a repository for art, architecture and design.

Urban renewal Land redevelopment in cities

Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in cities, often where there is urban decay. Urban renewal often refers to the clearing out of blighted areas in inner cities to clear out slums and create opportunities for higher class housing, businesses, and more. Modern attempts at renewal began in the late 19th century in developed nations, and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s under the rubric of reconstruction. The process has had a major impact on many urban landscapes, and has played an important role in the history and demographics of cities around the world.

Contents

Academic career

As a professor at Wayne State University, Dr. Ravitz assisted in the formation of the University’s Department of Urban Planning. [1] He served as a professor at Wayne State from 1949-1987, [2] focusing his efforts on urban sociology and teaching courses that required students to go out in communities to see racial, ethnic and industrial change first-hand. [3] Ravitz was a prolific writer and speaker, contributing his analysis on urban planning issues to numerous journals and conferences.

Wayne State University American public research university located in Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University (WSU) is an American public research university located in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering nearly 350 programs to more than 27,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Wayne State University is Michigan's third-largest university.

Southeast Michigan politics

During his time in city government, Ravitz often spoke against the dangers of suburbanization, racism, and the social impact of urban planning decisions in Southeast Michigan. [4]

Ravitz held several official positions in Detroit politics, including service on the Detroit City Plan Commission as Director of Community Organization and as staff director of the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Services Board. [5] He chaired the Wayne County Board of Supervisors from 1966 to 1968, as well as the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) from 1970 to 1971. [6]

Detroit City Council

Ravitz served an intermittent four-decade stint on the Detroit Common Council starting in 1961. He served as president of the council from 1969 to 1973, when he shifted focus to run in the mayoral primary election. [7]

As a relatively new city council member in Detroit, he made a name for himself in 1963 by introducing an open housing ordinance with William Patrick, the only African-American council member at the time. The ordinance would have outlawed racial discrimination in housing. The ordinance failed, but the discriminatory law enacted in its place was eventually found unconstitutional. [8]

Throughout his political career, Ravitz advocated for poor Detroiters. In his work at the Plan Commission, he was active in the formation of block clubs across the city that taught citizens political organizing skills. They also helped Ravitz develop a grass-roots political network. [9] He was often called a friend to the African-American community in Detroit, based on his effort to bring community organizations and citizen groups to the table along with powerful development interests.

Ravitz ran for mayor in Detroit in 1973, and was supported in his run by the UAW. He lost the election to Coleman Young, who held the seat for twenty years. After a short break, Ravitz returned to the city council and worked closely with Young, though they often disagreed. While Ravitz supported smaller developments across the city, Young favored large-scale projects downtown and along the riverfront. [10] Ravitz was especially hopeful about the use of "community development" in municipal planning decisions, but warned that many cities pay lip service to grass-roots involvement while offering back-door deals to large developers. [11]

Archival collection

Dr. Ravitz’s personal papers are housed at the Walter P. Reuther Library. These materials reflect his interests in community organizing and neighborhood revitalization, and serve to document the history of Detroit politics and the social and economic changes that the city faced during the twentieth century. Documents range in creation date from 1939-2005.

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References

  1. ↑ "Melvin Ravitz Papers Finding Aid". Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs. Wayne State University. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  2. ↑ McGowan, Meghan. "Collection Spotlight: Mel Ravitz Papers". Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor an Urban Affairs. Wayne State University. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  3. ↑ McGraw, Bill. "Remembering Ravitz". Detroit MetroTimes. Detroit MetroTimes. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  4. ↑ McGowan, Meghan. "Collection Spotlight: Mel Ravitz Papers". Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor an Urban Affairs. Wayne State University. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "Melvin Ravitz Papers Finding Aid". Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs. Wayne State University. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  6. ↑ McGowan, Meghan. "Collection Spotlight: Mel Ravitz Papers". Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor an Urban Affairs. Wayne State University. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  7. ↑ McGowan, Meghan. "Collection Spotlight: Mel Ravitz Papers". Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor an Urban Affairs. Wayne State University. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  8. ↑ McGraw, Bill. "Remembering Ravitz". Detroit MetroTimes. Detroit MetroTimes. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Rich, Wilbur C. (1999). Coleman Young and Detroit Politics: From Social Activist to Power Broker. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. pp. 101–102.
  10. ↑ McGraw, Bill. "Remembering Ravitz". Detroit MetroTimes. Detroit MetroTimes. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  11. ↑ Ravitz, Melvin (1982). "Community Development: Challenge of the Eighties". Journal of the Community Development Society. 13 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1080/15575330.1982.9987137.
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