The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-28
THE MAKING OF
 HOUSE SURVEYS
Miss Udetta D. Brown Details
 System to Conference.

The first step in making survey is to determine a standard of measure ment for the conditions to be studied.
 Briefly stated, we may say that when the dwellings of a community are 80 constructed and mal lntained that health safety, nlorz11ty and family privacy can be secured therein, then good housing conditions exist.
 Health depends chiefly on light. ven- tiIation, plentiful and convenient water supply and toilet accommodate and on the proper disposal of waste and refuse.
 Safety in the sense of protection from fire requires adequate exits from Buildings and the use of fire proof and semi-f1re proof construct1o under certain conditions
 CRIME FOLLOWS DARKNESS.
 Moralfty-tfe moral life of individ- ual and community is closely linked to the living conditions Of people Dark halls, se1ni-public toilets and Irear dwellings are some of the hous- ing evils which menace the morals of Ifhe community in which they exist. Delinquency, vice and crime mature where housing conditions are worse. Family privacy is the foundation on which we have built our institutions. MT. vei1Ier says sDemocraey was not tpredicated upon country made up
 
 survive. Family life depends for its fullest development on the one-famiIy house where privacy is assured and where sense of individual and fam fly responsibility is realized.
 These then, are the conditions to be studied in making a housing sur lvey. Typical districts in the city are seIected in which each house is sub- jected to a detailed inspection and a record made of conditions These l records are entered on uniform cards prepared and tested for the purpose. The developments in recent years deserve special study as they show Ithe trend in housing growth The l bulk of the material for this aspect Iof the enauiry may usually be obtained from official records but should be sup Iplemented by personal inspections. To 3thfs must be aided a general knowI- ledge of the citss as whole.
 HOUSING CONDITIONS VARY Housing conditions are the result Iof many influences. The building and lsanitary regulations are important fac 1 tors; the race elements in the popuIa-
 ton and the business activities of the lcommunIty complfcate the situation IThe plan of the city, especially the sizes Of the lots and the facilities for Itransporfa ation. tend toward certain tconditfons, building habits are respon. IsibIe for much, both good and bad I No survey is complete which does mot recognize the part these factors
 have played in bringing about the present situation and -oint out theil
 task in the future development of the
 community. seiaa eSl
 In short a housing survey should
 answer the questions: Have we 2 fcfty Of homes If so, how may we
 continue our good conditions? If not, what can we do to remedy present Ievfls and to secure homes for the fu- ture?
 The report based on the survey
 must be accurate and instructive, but Ithese qualities alone will not, suffice The housing problem is "a community lproblem and should be realized by ev. cry. one. A few well selected photo graphs. a, diagram or two will appeal to many who have not time to read the entire report, and will depict con lditions as no words can do. The text itself is made more readable by il | illustrative incidents supplementing tht Ibare facts. It is vital that the report Ibe of interest to the general public l as well as that # furnish statistics as
 a foundation for further work.