The Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 was enacted by the United States Congress to guarantee that federal grants were being spent on set projects in urban redevelopment.
It was enacted as a broad urban planning program meant to revitalize cities and improve the welfare of people living in underdeveloped neighborhoods.
The act provided aid to cities rebuilding blighted areas, while also offering measures that dealt with mass transit, beautification, conservation, water and air quality, public safety, and support for the arts and humanities.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 into law on November 3, 1966.
In response to these new requirements, many urban areas started new planning agencies or commissions to include elected officials on their policy boards.