Laying Foundations
New Deal Public Works and Aviation Infrastructure
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12178669 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Merrill Johnson (Virginia Military Institute, corresponding author), M Houston Johnson V |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 695-726 |
| Publication date | 2018-08-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Policy History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0898-0306 • E-ISSN: 1528-4190 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s089803061800026x |
| OpenAlex | W2889129259 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
This article examines New Deal public works agencies’ pivotal contributions to American aeronautical development, arguing that their creation of aviation-related infrastructure offers powerful evidence of the New Deal’s success in remaking the American landscape and fostering economic growth. Organizations such as the Civil Works Agency, the Public Works Administration, and the Works Progress Administration built or improved almost every contemporary U.S. airport, funding improvements that created the foundations of America’s modern air transport network. Much more than make-work endeavors, these efforts reflected New Dealers’ desire to use public works to create worthwhile products. These policies highlight the sophistication with which the New Deal promoted economic development, and belie the image of public works agencies privileging short-term employment to the detriment of economic gain. Airport terminals, runways, hangers, and countless other aviation-related improvements represent some of the New Deal’s most significant physical legacies, highlighting the Roosevelt administrations’ vital contributions to aeronautical development
Administration (probate law · Agency (philosophy · Aviation · Civil aviation · New Deal · Political science · Politics · Public work · Runway · Sociology · Sophistication · Work (physics · American Environmental and Regional History · Engineering · French Historical and Cultural Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Law · Public Administration
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |