315 ILCS 30/2
It is hereby found and declared (a) that there exist in urban communities within this State with more than 500,000 inhabitants land clearance commissions, created prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly and acting pursuant to the Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act of 1947 (repealed) and conservation boards, created and acting pursuant to the "Urban Community Conservation Act," approved July 13, 1953, as amended; (b) that the administration of these two closely related programs involving the eradication or prevention of slum and blight areas and the redevelopment of such areas can be accomplished more efficiently by a single instrumentality as an agency of such urban community; (c) that in order to protect the health, safety, morals and welfare of the public by the more efficient administration of programs to aid in the eradication and prevention of slum and blight areas and the redevelopment thereof it is necessary to provide for the creation of a single instrumentality to absorb the functions of land clearance commissions and conservation boards, and to exercise the powers and authority granted by the Blighted Areas Redevelopment Act of 1947 (repealed) and the "Urban Community Conservation Act," approved July 13, 1953, as amended; and (d) the eradication and redevelopment of slum and blighted areas, the development and redevelopment of blighted vacant areas, the conservation of urban residential areas and the prevention of slums, by a single instrumentality the creation of which is herein authorized, in the manner provided in this Act, is hereby declared to be a public use essential to the public interest.
315 ILCS 30/2