"Urban renewal" programs weren't primarily about crime or social indicators, but merely about clearing the blighted buildings and neighborhoods (where crimes such as prostitution or public drinking often flourished), making large areas of land available for modern development projects that would rejuvenate the cities. The idea seemed reasonable, if audacious, at the time, when US cities suffered from unhealthy overcrowding, and many urban dwellings even lacked sanitary facilities. Alas, even the best-laid plans often go astray, and the relocation assistance for those displaced by the land clearance was nonexistent or inadequate, the social networks of the displaced neighborhoods were overlooked or dismissed, and relocation housing was slow in coming.