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I. Three Congressional Mandates A. The Federal Hi,way Pro.am The Federal Highway Trust Fund supports two major programs under which the states are reimbursed for new highway constrnction. Under the "ABCD" system the federal government pays fifty percent of the cost of constructing certain roads meeting federal standards. But most recent controversies have concerned the Interstate Program which provides nine dollars of federal matching funds for each dollar expended by the states. The 1956 Highway Act, establishing the Interstate Program, was concerned with the "prompt and early completion" of this major road network. The Inter- state System is now scheduled to be completed by 1976. Yet singleminded imple- mentation of the national highway program has led to the frustration of another congressional mandate--the provision of decent housing for every American. B. The National Housing Goal The Housing Act of 1949 was concerned with ensuring that all Americans, including the urban poor, were provided with adequate living facilities. The Housing Act explicitly stated that this national policy: requires housing production . . . and the realization as soon as feasible of the goal of a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family . . To achieve this goal Congress has established a series of housing programs and subsidies: urban renewal, interest subsidies, public housing, code enforce- ment, rent allowances, and other programs. In these acts, Congress has implicitly recognized that the private housing market cannot adequately meet the needs of low- and moderate-income segments of urban society. Yet the housing acts have failed to achieve their goals. In no small part, this failure has been due to the federal highway program. During the first decade of the Interstate Program, right-of-way clearance for federal highways destroyed more units of low- and moderate-income housing than were built by the federal government's public housing program. City planners have used highways to get rid of the oldest and least desirable housing in the existing inventory, housing usually inhabited by low- and moderate-income families. These units are usually located in close proximity to the central business district. But such areas also provide the optimal location for traffic arteries skirting or serving the downtown area. In addition, property in the low-income area is less expensive than elsewhere; hence, highway location through this area reduces total acquisition costs. C. A Congressional Response: The Relocation Acts Congress has recognized the conflict between the highway program and the goal of providing every American with adequate housing. Legislation was enac- ted in 1968 and 1970 with two major purposes: to prevent residents from being displaced when insufficient relocation housing was available and to subsidize III-2