Evening star., 1953-11-05
Southwest RedeveIopment


During the Regional Conference of
the American Institute of Architects. at
the session on "The Architect and Re-
development" panel member accused
his fellow practitioners of being shy in
the presence of clients who mistakenly
know what they want and believe that
he who pays the piper calls the tune.
felt that the panel members also
were shy, due to their failure to deal
frankly with the crucial problem in re-
development of slum areas; i.e., re-
housing of displaced low-income fam
lilies. Yet these displaced people cannot
simply be swept under the rug and for
gotten. To attempt that means only
worse Slums elsewhere. One or two
panel members casually mentioned dis
placed families. One of them said that
relocation "can be handled Che did not
say how. but we should not let it gov
ern the redevelopment of an area" and
added that he did not feel "the needs
of families should diStort the develop
ment area" He did not say what should
govern redevelopment.
Fortunately an architect from How
ard University called attention to this
form OF ShyneSS. That caused the D. G.
Redevelopment Land Agency's repre-
sentative to say he expected about SO
per cent of the families in Project Area
B (the Districts first redevelopment
project) could easily be absorbed in
private housing, but for most of the
rest public housing is the only answer.
However, he did not say where and
no
and the public housing agency should
cooperate in providing for most of the
rest"
Another account quoted him as say
ing that only 10 per cent of the popula-
ton affected by the Project Area B
program will not move to better houS-
ing. I hope this small percentage will
prove true. But even if it does, Project
Area B is small: it contains only 1884
families. Ten per cent of these, i.e., 1874,
also may seem small. But in view of the
housing shortage for low-income fam
lilies even that number poses a prob
lem not only for the displaced families
but also for the community.
We were left with at least three un-
answered problems:
/. What will happen to the 10 per
cent?
Already small-scale slum uplifting"
with higher income people succeeding
low-income families, has forced dis
placed low-income families, including
children, to move into one-room accom-
modations in converted old houses.
2. Where shall public housing be
built for the approximately so per cent
(660 families from Project Area B
alone) who cannot "be absorbed in pri-
vate housing?
Slum sites cleared by RIA are to be
sold only to private builders; public
housing is excluded. If in future rede-
velopment projects public housing is
excluded where will it be built to pro-
vide for the approximately so per cent
of the displaced families?
3. What will be the effects upon other
sections of the city of pushing out the
low-income part of the Southwest's
population?
Will result be more rapid deteriora-
ton in the other sections with sequent
advocacy of more slum-c clearance prof.
ects? This would mean heavy burden
on the taxpayer for writing down site
sidized profits to builders who, despite
their subsidy, will then be authorized
to charge increased sale and rental
rates. So each project area will be up
lifted" while the Districts low-income
population will be crowded into con-
stantly diminishing space.
To my disappointment, the newspa-
pers ignored the quiet voice from How
ard University and played up more
familiar voice which got the headlines.
The headlines were: Architect Says
Area B Lacks Imagination" and
Southwest Plan Held Weakened by
Compromise. Architect Deplores Loss of
Boldness in Redevelopment." What is
the deplored lack of boldness and imag-
ination? Is it lack of high rise" build
ingS and sky line?
A bold and imaginative plan for
Southwest redevelopment would take
account of the city as whole and so
make the Southwest contribute to sound
community development. It would be
plan that could be adapted to other
sections until all the slun1s are redevel-
oped and all economic strata of Wash
ington's population are properly housed.
John Ihlder.