@MikeKStar wrote:
Taken in context for the era and compared to other sociopath types who use their power and influence exclusively for personal gain, I'd argue Moses did some good along the way. Yes, many of his ideas were terrible with lasting legacies of discrimination but you have to admit that some were (still are) beneficial.
I don't hear arguments for tearing down the bridges he built - Verazzano, Triborough, Throg's Neck, Hudson, Whitestone, etc...or closing the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel, Jones Beach, Lincoln Center and UN Headquarters. These projects don't benefit just rich, white folk.
While the overall impact of many of Moses's projects continues to be debated, their sheer scale across the urban landscape is indisputable. The peak of Moses's construction occurred during the economic duress of the Great Depression, and despite that era's woes, Moses's projects were completed in a timely fashion, and have been reliable public works since—which compares favorably to the contemporary delays New York City officials have had redeveloping the Ground Zero site of the former World Trade Center, or the technical snafus surrounding Boston's Big Dig project.
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During his tenure as chief of the state park system, the state's inventory of parks grew to nearly 2,600,000 acres (1,100,000 ha). By the time he left office, he had built 658 playgrounds in New York City alone, plus 416 miles (669 km) of parkways and 13 bridges.