Evening star., 1935-01-20
NATIONAL UNITY URGED !,
In HOUSING PROGRAM
Planning Advocated for Rich and Poor
Alike to Solve Problem of r.
World Importance. Il

~ CoONo a IL 4dSCAJ Al fAAACA AN2AA AAOAo~r
ing-the grouping of the rich in elite
sections, the grouping Of the poor, the,
development Of slums; the reduction
of our middle-inco class from rs to
25 per cent; the changing of simple
form Of government to one requiring
much social legislation to adjust the
inequities in our complex social order.
AS we went further from the agri-
cultural life to larger industrial COM
munities We developed more distortion
Small towns held to the agricultural
pattern-they housed mixed strata OF
society, from the wealthy to the
humble. The more fortunate citizens
served as an inspiration to ambitious
youth; they heard Of needs and helped.
to fight injustices. Public opinion in
turn acted as police force to control.
the actions of the more fortunate. The
mixture of strata tended to offer a.
healthier community life. Even todayl
except in one-industry towns. social
disturbances seldom occur within the
boundaries of small communities
only against outside forces working
against them.
AS communities grew during indus
trial expansion the simple living pat
tern was not continued. But even the
fortunate citizens Of our large cities
not many years ago had more gen.
eral knowledge of municipal affairs
than they have today. Their large
homes were located near their COM
mercial interests and nearby lived
other groups, workers, servants. No
efforts were made by our rnunicipali-
ties or government to protect these
healthy structures. Residential dis
trictS were never protected, industry
and commerce intruded.
Autos Brought Big Change.
High-speed transportation and the
automobile allowed an escape from
this lack of order and brought about a
quick change in the structure Of urban
communities, further separation OF
the various classes. Those most able
to fight for better municipal improve
ments relinquished their guardianship
and fed, because they could afford 1t,
to new, respectable areas, leaving the
old sections behind to disintegrate
physically and politically.
Promoters and real estate operators
profited by the American desire to live
in respectable neighborhoods and in
nocently helped to accelerate the
breaking down of our housing pattern.
They developed elite sections for the
well-to-do and built other large areas
for the middle-income groups, leaving
our unfortunates in greater numbers
isolated in the slums-a most un-
healthy trend-the time-old separation
of classes. No longer in touch with
other people, the privileged class no
longer know their problems, their
needs.
Constant demands are being made
for social legislation to treat the
symptoms rather than the disease.
We have been planning to treat the
symptoms just as they have done it
so unfortunately in Europe-isolating
the unfortunates and the low-wage
earners in communities of homestead
farms, in large housing developments,
in slum clearance projects. The mil
lions spent on L. w. D. housing sur
veys during the last year have brought
out valuable information on the physi-
cal state of roperty-obsoleScen
vacancies-but they have not brought
out the seriousness of our housing
trend. From one survey came this
startling recommendation: THE crea-
ton of barriers by parks and COM
mercial areas to prevent the encroach-
ment of the poor and undesirable oc-
cupants upon better areas"
Consider Only Part of Problem.
Our laws, too, give consideration
to housing for the low-wage Garner
| alore. This isolation is being carried
out in contradiction to every Amer
! icap desire to live in sound neighbor-
| hoods. A survey of one group OF
workers revealed that the majority did
not want to live in such group hous-
ing, and they gave intelligent reasons:
They wanted to live beside people
with different occupations; living in
one group would label them; during
labor trouble, hardShips could be in
f1ictei upon their families. But the
wishes of the workers are being ig-
noreo in favor of the ambitions Of
the labor leaders-labor housing is
being built with Government funds.
Let us plan for accord and under
standing between people while per-
forming the varied services and re-
| ceiving the varied rewards demanded
in every progressive social order. Let
us plan our communities as many in
terrelated districts, each holding vari.
Gus income groups so that we car
have lone large and harmonious
family; so that political and social
thought in each district will be rep
resentative action of the various
strata; so that we will have housing
with occupants free from the infiu-
ence of capital, labor or politics.
First, we must plot our present
housing trend so that every citizen
can see how far our communities have
broken down into isolated class hous-
ing. Then we will know where and
for which income groups to provide.
Our city planners must give traffic,
| commerce and industry their proper
relation to the plan. They also must
plan every livable area to be attrac-
tive to all income groups. This will
simplify the economics of the problem
With every district being on a more
equitable basis for Inability and re-
spectability, real estate will have more
constant value and will be assured Of
returns to investments.
Present Plan Not Broad.
If, within great cities, blighted and
slum areas are replanned to be at
tractive to all members of society the
economics Of the problem will again
be simplified. The present plans to
destroy slum areas and replace them
with housing for the low-income
families alone are unsound politically,
socially and economically. These areas
already hold too large proportion of
the unfortunates for the social and
political well being Of the community
as a whole. Because they invariably
lie close to central cities, such areas
have land values so high that low
rental housing can be made possible
only through extreme Government
subsidy. Yet these areas, because of
their location in the heart of cities,
can be made livably attractive for