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Robert Moses famously did this to New York. The city continues to suffer under his legacy.

• Spooky23 5y ago
  It’s fashionable to say that. Yet I think NYC would be worse off had he not been around. Moses was a complex man and he did stuff good and bad. The unique thing about Moses is that he was an incredibly talented individual, both genius and villain. His acquisition, wielding, and addiction to power is fascinating. The other thing is that he attracted the attention of the greatest biographer of the modern era. His legacy is documented in depth while the people who destroyed Baltimore, Cincinnati, Syracuse, etc get the benefit of anonymity. Caro boiled it down to one idea: “Moses loved the public but hated people.”
  • nerdponx 5y ago
    Fair about anonymity, and fair about his talent. But I can't forgive him for what he did to the Rockaways, as much as I can't forgive whoever designed the Inner Loop highway in Rochester. The fact that I know one's name and not the other doesn't change my dislike of what they did.
    • Spooky23 5y ago
      Agreed. If you haven’t, it sounds like this is a topic you’re into and i would recommend that you read “The Power Broker”. It’s a summer read (as in June-September), but is a uniquely awesome book.
      • nerdponx 5y ago
        It's next up after the Hamilton biography :)