Evening star., 1942-02-07
Urban Land Institute
Proposes Postwar
Building Plan
Government and Privute
Groups Seen Cooperating
In Mammoth Program

In Mammoth Program
Large-scale replanning and re-
building Of American cities In the
postwar period, with Government
and private enterprise working
effective together as partners,
were objectives visualized in a man.
moth, far-reaching program adopted
by the Urban Land Institute at its
recent annual meeting In Chicago.
Procedure outlined, which would
make possible a concerted onslaught
on the menace Of blight in cities
throughout the United States and
at the same time help to avoid new
depression after the war by taking
up the slack Of unemployment, in
cludes the following basic proposals:
/. Establishment of a Federal
urban land commission. either as
part Of an existing Federal agency
or as an independent department.
to be provided with the funds and
the powers to extend grants to local
planning agencies for the purpose
of preparing master plans for metro
politan areas and replanning
blighted areas. and to extend
credits to local land commissions
for the purpose of acquiring land
in blighted areas for redevelopment
by private enterprise.
2. Acquisition of blighted areas
for redevelopment by private enter
prise should be performed by local
land commission created by ap-
propriate State legislation.
8. Redevelopment of land 80 ac-
quired by local land commission
should be performed by private
building companies and individual
builders.
Taxation Taken Up.
1. Taxation of redeveloped areas
should be based on assessed values
related to income-producing power
and utility of the property.
5. Establishment of a national
laboratory to conduct research and
study for the development of new
building materials, housing design,
construction methods, housing
standards, the marketing and financ-
ing of dwellings and building
regulations to reduce the cost of
dwelling construction. This ma
tional laboratory should be a part
or subsidiary of the Federal
urban land commission.
The postwar program takes into
account many widely discussed ele-
ments of one of the Nations basic
problems, among them:
1. The spread of blight which has
overtaken one-fourth of urban
America and which threatens city
disintegration - physically, politi-
cally and socially-unless effectively
stopped.
2. The timeliness Of such wide
spread program for replanning and
rebuilding deprecated urban areas
as logical and proper means Of re-
lieving unemployment and aiding in
the readjustment of industry to
peacetime production at the close
Of the present war.
8. The need of providing for those
who live in our cities a wholesome
environment with primary consider
alton given to the creation of livable
home neighborhoods in which
normal family life can exist.
4. Financing upon a scale sufh-
ciently large to be effective.
g. Insurance of a maximum pos
sible construction and reconstruction
by private enterprise.
6. The vesting in a public agency
OF the power of eminent domain to
assist in reassembling land in sufd-
ciently large blocks for creating new
neighborhoods.
Local Units Duties Listed.
Under the u l.. I. plan the local
land commission, created under
State legislation, would: Cd Apply
to the Federal urban land COM
mission for grant (Which might be
supplemented by local appropria-
tions) to be used in the preparation
of a master plan for the metro
politan community and for making
specific plans for rebuilding certain
blighted areas into livable neighbor-
hood units; (2) next, acquire as
much land as possible in the blighted
area by ordinary negotiation and the
balance by exercising the power Of
eminent domain; 90 turn to the
Federal Government for the use of
its credit Gas has been done in farm
problems) and request a long-term
loan to acquire the properties, con-
struct the streets, parks, sewers and
other public facilities; and "a after
the city has taken title to all such
public areas, would then lease the
building sites to private redevolp-
ment companies or individual build
ers for a long period of years.
Approved private redevelopment
companies or individual builders
would be eligible for mortgage in
surance under F. H. A. The rede-
velopment companies and private
builders would be free to rent and
to sell properties to individuals so
that ultimately all redeveloped prop
critics nigh be placed into appro-
pirate ownerships.
The laboratory would function as
. permanent corporation subsidiary
to the Federal urban land COM
mission, with central Offices in the
District, and branch Offices and
laboratory facilities in other locali-
ties appropriate for experimental
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