Evening star., 1936-08-15
LACK Of PLANNING
FOR HOUSING CITED
Financial Support for Re.
construction Program
Held Urgent Need.

Lack OF nnanclal support Tor ao-
vance planning has prevented the de-
velopment of an adequate national
program of reconstruction, Stephen
F. Voorhees,, president Of the Ameri-
can Institute Of Architects, declared
in a symposium of the Land Utiliza-
tion Committee of the New York
Building Congress.
Voorhees,, expressing the position of
the institute, urged a Federal appro-
priation to finance advance planning.
A similar view was held by William
j. Demorest, president of the Real
Estate Board of New York. who ad-
vocated local district planning as
means of avoiding neighborhood evils.
Had the recent Government grants
to low-cost housing been applied to
finance advance and exploratory plan
ming and to the development of a
methodology for the replanning and
gradual replacement of blighted and
obsolete districts" Voorhees, said, I'VE
might by this time have been we'll
launched upon a program Of recon-
struction financed upon an economic
thwarted by the inadequacy OF capital
subsidies.
Although the architect has con-
tributed much to the improvement of
modern cities by his suggestions, he
has made very little more than a be-
ginning at type Of work which is
calling for greater and greater ex-
penditure Of his talents, ingenuity and
energy. AS yet no adequate means
has been devised for compensating
the architect for this type Of work.
AS result too little studying is being
oone to discover how to do the things
that need to be done as we'll as how
to determine the reasonable limits of
possible action.
Expected to Take Lead
"The position which the architect
has won for himself in American
life is founded upon his ability to
conceive and execute plans. The
architect Is expected to take the lead
IN the design of better communities.
But in spite Of the acclaim, which he
is given, the community has not be-
gun to enjoy the benefits which would
be possible we're the talents of the
architect and his brothers, the en-
gineers, fully and properly. employed
In the first place the architect
cannot act alone. 1t is his job to
enalyze the problems of property
owners and aid them toward a solu-
ton. He cannot, however, plan ef-
fectively for the owner. for whom
he is working. unless he can secure
the cooperation Of those whose busi-
ness it is to lend money to finance
real estate and construction enter
prises.
Furthermore, he must know how
to utilize the executive and engi-
neering brains in the building in
dustry; how to utilize the abilities of
craftsmen and unskilled labor and
how to utilize materials. In addi-
tion there must be intelligent CO.
operation with, and the economical
performance Of necessary services by,
the local government, including the
maintenance of reasonable standards
OF safety. health and equity as may
be set by local ordinance.
Extraordinary Services Needed.
To make himself a master of the
knowledge necessary to secure such
cooperation. the architect must fur
nish both ordinary and extraordi-
nary services. 1t is a comparatively
easy task for him to furnish the spe-
clflc designs for specific building
for particular client. 1t Is far
more difficult for him to perform
services which are of social Importance
when the architect is expected to show
the way to accomplish tasks which
call for the replanning and rebuild
ing of neglected sections OF our towns
and cities in order to bring them into
conformity with standards of modern
life that are both desirable and DOS
Sible."
All real estate men will cooperate
In working out local plan, accord
Ing to Demorest, who declared that
needed city Improvements are held up
because the way to carry them out has
not been discovered.
Real estate men are well aware
that all too often very carefully made
plans for the future development of
an individual piece of property are
set at naught by what happens in a
neighborhood. Mr.. Demorest added.
They realize that planning properly
operated could generally prevent such
misfortunes. and, therefore, welcome
any opportunity to arrive at a method
which would make district planning
effective.
1T is my belief that this solution
can only be reached by the co-opera-
ton Of all those who are interested in
city growth and city planning. We
must not be impatient if the solution
is not quickly reached 1t may take
years Of discussion, analysis and edu-
cation to bring 1t about
More Work Required.
Something more than mere COM
mittee work is required. We need to
put men with proper mental equip
ment to work on this knotty problem
to find ways and means for doing
those things that we are all agreed
are needed to improve our cities. but
which are not being done largely be-
cause we have not yet discovered the
way"
A. Pearson Hoover of New York,
chairman of the Executive Committee
o. the Mayors Committee on City
Planning. described city planning as
the application to municipal govern