According to Johnson, “Though the word beautification makes the concept sound merely cosmetic, it involves much more: clean water, clean air, clean roadsides, safe waste disposal and preservation of valued old landmarks as well as great parks and wilderness areas. They shape us.” 2īeautification was far more complex than a garden club project. Quoting Churchill and expanding on his concept, Lady Bird stated that, “‘First we shape our buildings, and then they shape us.’ The same is true of our highways, our parks, our public buildings, and the environment we create. Inner city waterways and urban cores were heavily polluted.īeautification, as conceived by Lady Bird Johnson, was concerned with matters of environmental improvement and condition enhancements. Downtown centers and neighborhoods were becoming empty and blighted. Urban renewal projects and the expansion of highway infrastructure had fractured communities. In a similar vein of enthusiasm and commitment, she initiated the Beautification Project as a solution to America’s urban ills. Library of Congressĭuring her tenure as First Lady of the United States (1963-1969), Lady Bird Johnson served as a champion of conservation efforts, advocated for the creation of National Park Service units, lobbied for the passage of environmental legislation, and campaigned for the improvement of the character of the nation’s highway system. Official White House portrait of Lady Bird JohnsonĮlizabeth Shoumatoff, 1968.
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