but you can't tear down and replace everything sometimes a short look backward is the way to a special kind of progress jackson square in san francisco chose to restore and preserve its victorian passed out of rundown older buildings as made a prosperous and attractive home for downtown business a place to work a place to live for many slums nothing can be done they are too far gone they must be uprooted  replaced but housing for low income families need not be low grade housing evidence st francis square and san francisco housing development sponsored in this case by union designed this publicly sponsored housing have to be mean and ugly more evidence the municipal low cost housing program in mount clemens michigan designed for livability for the sensibilities of people but what about rundown urban areas that are not well used that could be used to attract people with higher incomes to expand the tax base and breed new life into the city one answer detroit style lafayette park the heart of the city the residents drive their cars into an underground parking area they are home in the city but with the gift of space order and good design not too long ago in the southwest section of washington d c the capital of sion of early value touches and details that say we care for our own sensibilities and those of our children this is the story of the georgetown section a story of care in virginia happy meeting of good design and landscape a matter of money by no means exclusively where there are expensive suburban homes that misuse the just as there are others that respect the landscape and delight the senses the house is well cited the tree is preserved wires underground where they belong life in the suburbs increasingly is life behind the wheel the stop and shop for a chance to buy once he has left his car let the buyer beware too many obstacle courses for people concrete and cars no place for a tree very little for human beings it needn't be that grim detroit's northland shopping center can also accommodate the car ten thousand of them at once cars are separated from people and stores even for the accidental meeting of friend beyond trade and merchandise a concern for the small things  what suburbia can do downtown can do equally well the successful mixing of business and pleasure commerce and comfort the special attractions of rockefeller plaza in new york city bring people to play to watch because these extra touches also draw business into the nearby shop is not a matter of size or scope small things have a large place a well designed trash container trees and flowers to brighten the city a place to set a place to walk that interest all the details that say beauty and concern all part of the america we see the america we can have survey of your community urge your local government and civic leaders to prepare a long range program for good community design demand community tree planning programs affective ordinances to regulate and billboards to place utility lines underground local government cannot do business leadership is to get these programs moving and to keep them  alive architects and other design professionals to translate human needs and wishes into a harmony of structures and space it takes all three forces design professionals government business leaders always the city or near it what will it be like five ten fifty years from now some things we know population mount and we build to meet it at a frightening pace in the next forty years we will rebuild america where we have disorder or design ugliness