This thesis utilizes Asheville as a case study to situate urban renewal in the broader history of housing segregation and urban race relations. In order to accomplish this objective, this study employs an expanded timeframe. This approach enables an exploration into how and why certain neighborhoods came to be designated areas for urban renewal projects. Additionally, this study illuminates on the many nuances of urban renewal. For Asheville, the desire for a strong tourist industry provided the impetus for urban renewal while previous federal housing policies and the real estate industry systematically created racially segregated neighborhoods fraught with inequalities. This resulted in the physical decay of the city’s African American communities and helped justified their selection for urban renewal projects. Within in this environment, Asheville witnessed its most marginalized social group, black public housing tenants who challenged and successfully altered the political landscape of Asheville.