"The World That Moses Built" is a most unusual installment of "American Experience" in that it spend about an equal time extolling the subject in the film AND pointing out the negative aspects of the man! But I think this also makes it more honest than some documentaries...showing the good as well as bad.
Robert Moses was an urban planner who never seemed to have much doubt of indecisiveness. When the Depression came, he was able to carry out many building projects in New York City, though he was not an elected official but a bureaucrat. The projects gave folks much needed work and also did a lot to shore up the cities infrastructure. Many of the biggest projects of the 20th century were planned by him...such as Lincoln Center and the 1964 World's Fair. But, conversely, the man had little regard for individuals, so if it meant dispossessing hundreds or thousands of families...so be it. What was important was progress...period. This also means that many people praise him in the film AND hate him. It makes for an interesting show, that's for sure. And, as you'd expect from this series, the show is very well made and doesn't disappoint.