What is it about?
This gives a history of the first director of Detroit's public housing program, the Detroit Housing Commission. She faced many challenges as a professional woman and as a supporter of civil rights, especially low-cost housing for black residents in the 1930s.
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Why is it important?
Gomon's story teaches us much about the challenges facing women professionals, particularly if they were seen as pro-African American during this timeof racial segregation, but in addition her work laid the groundwork for an important era in urban planning for Detroit.
Perspectives
This work salvages in a sense the reputation of a woman seen in some quarters as an architect of racial segregation, and points out the many ways that she fought for the rights of blacks.
June Thomas
University of Michigan
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Josephine Gomon Plans for Detroit’s Rehabilitation, Journal of Planning History, September 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1538513217724554.
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