The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-29
By ALLAN s. AUSTIN Written for Democrat and NEA
 Service

Written for Democrat and NEA
 Service
 Copyright, 9131. NEA Service, Inc)
 Nizhni Novgorod. U. $. F. R.-A model city for 60,000 inhabitants- the most elaborate attempt at com munistic housekeeping the world has yet seen-is rising rapidly here.
 American architects and engineers aie directing this project. The new oi.y, described as Soviet Russia's Detroit" stands on the north bank "t the Oka river 10 kilometers above 'ta Junction with the Volga at >rjzhni Novgorod, not far from Mos row. It will comprise a giant auto noble plant and workers city. Among the city's distinctive features will be the following:
 Central kitchen factory in which all cooking for the entire com- munity will be done by regularly employed staff.
 Central nurseries and kindergar- tens where all children from three months to seven years will be cared for. relieving parents of full re- sponsibility.
 Dormitories in which private quarters are limited to sleeping rooms and all other rooms are shared in common.
 Club houses equipped with dining hall, gymnasium. motion picture ap- fic experimentation.
 These are but few of the de- tails which will make the city diff ferent from any other city in the world. The model city is an exact working example of the social the ories of the Soviet government.
 Because of the significance at- tached by the Russians to their first socialistic city they took great pains to tap all likely sources of ideas in planning it. Leading professors of economics and sociology contributed their talents, as did architests and technical experts of many kinds.
 In setting 60,000 as the maxi- mum population it was computed with keen efficiency that 18,000 government automobile plant. Of these 5000 will be women. Six thousand additional women will be required to operate the kitchen fac- tory, bread factory and club houses. This gives a total of 24,000. To this is added 25 per cent or 5000 more for dependents, minors and other non-producers, raising the figure to 30.000. The steel plant not yet started is expected to employ an equal number with the same factors applied, thus setting the total popu- lation at 60, 900.
 Soviet authorities, having estab- lished the Fundamental Requirements of size, area per person and the functions to be provided for, turn ed the project over to a group of American architects and engineers who have done the actual designing. | The Americans were asked to rat ionalize' the effort-to use the pie | turesque parlance of the moment in Russia. Rati0nalizing means simply applying the experience and judg- ment previously acquired through actual practice.
 Public Square Is Hub. The plan on which the city is now being constructed includes a central square near which are To- cated the House of Soviets or of- fees of local government, com munity center, museum, hotel and department store. Stretching be- yond are the buildings where the workers will live-low structures giving a maximum of air and sun
 
 devoted to parks and highways.
 In designing the model city there was a conscious effort to raise the standard of living to a neW level for working people. Living quarters have been arranged in units, each unit to supply the needs of 1000 persons. For each 1000 there are eight buildings. five of them dormi- tories and club building, nursery and kindergarten. These structures are located around a central square where children may play without fear of street traffic. The buildings are made with brick sidewalks and concrete frames. Floors and walls are soundproof.
 No Bathtubs in ''IiOme.''
 A survey of such an eightbu ing unit gives a complete picture of the Soviet ideal in living.
 The Russian worker and his wife will have no home" at all in the American sense. The dormitory buildings are each four stories high. The first three floors ar each made up of series of small sleeping rooms and one large central loung- ing hall. Single and double sleep ing rooms alternate. Nine square meters of space per person (about 10 square feeD is all that the dweller in the model city is entitled Il and the privacy of each family is limited, strictly to this area.
 The sleeping rooms are all small and will scarcely permit of any other use. Each room has ward robe and wash basin and opens directly into the hall. To those in- terested in scientific research an additional room will be assigned for use as a laboratory. There are no kitchen facilities in the dorminitor- ies and no bathtubs.
 The fourth floor of each building is composed of larger rooms, the size of a double and single room combined. These are to be occupied by young "Communes," groups of three or four young people who work, study and live together. Boys and Girls Together
 Such groups-of boys and girls both-are common in universities and training schools and their youth is counted on to overcome the three flights of stairs without undue fa- tigue. The moral aspect of housing groups of both sexes on the same %4.774 Do,