Evening star., 1955-06-25
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We read, with considerable
interest, Richard Fryklund's
article, Realtors Have a Plan
for Better Housing" in The
Sunday Star of June 10, and
should like to comment on it.
The Washington Housing
Association is certainly in
agreement with the state
ments: g. much housing in
this country is unfit to live in.
Decent homes should be avail
able for all, and it is the obli-
cation of private enterprise to
provide them" However, we
question whether the right
approach =. is a vast pro-
gram of neighborhood con-
servation carried out by pri-
vate enterprise by which
America can eliminate all her
slums by 1860"
During the 90 years since 1t
was established to aid. in every
practicable way, In the inn
provement Of housing condi-
tions in Washington, the
Washington Housing Associa-
ton has. learned, as all others
interested in housing have
come to realize, that there is
no single right approach" to
the vast and complicated
problem of the growth of slums
and blight in the most pros
porous country in the world.
We believe that what is neces-
sary is a co-ordinated. compre-
hensive program which utilizes
all known tools. These tools
include code enforcement. re-
habilitation Of existing dwell
ings. clearance of ck-bottom
slums, new construction by
private enterprise. and public
housing. Needless to say, COM
prehensive city planning is a
basic necessity. The Washing
ton Housing Association be-
lieves that all tools are equally
important, and that reliance on
one or some of these tools, as
for example. rehabilitation, to
the exclusion or neglect of
others, will result in an in
effective program, which does
not and can not halt the
spread of blight. The aware
ness of the necessity for
a total program was given
eloquent expression by Ma
thaniel S. Keith and James
Rouse. In mo Slums in Ten
Years" they wrote g. unin-
tegrated piecemeal attacks on
the slum problem will not work.
Public housing, redevelopment
and code enforcement pro-
grams operating as separate
and largely unco-ordinated
thrusts at slums viii neither
cure the city's slums nor pre-
vent their future growth. These
and all other available tools
must be tied together into a
carefully planned, well-admin-
istered campaign"
As for the role of rehabilita-
ton, which is extolled in this
article, all of us in the field of
housing recognize that the
greatest single source of hous-
ing is the existing supply. We
know that it is necessary and
desirable to conserve much of
our housing: and we know also
that much old housing can be
restored to present-day useful
ness and desirahility. However,
let's not discuss rehabilitation
in a vacuum. Let us look at
the situation as it exists in
Washington. The article refers
to sharp improvement In the
homes of the slum areas" In
those areas in Washington
where such sharp improve
ment" is taking place George
town. Capitol Hill, Foggy Bot
tom - everyone knows the
homes are no longer available
to those most in need, since
they have been converted from
slum homes to luxury homes.
by and large. While such re-
habilitation is certainly desir-
able, to some extent. it cannot
be considered an answer to the
needs Of those living in slum
and blighted areas. On the
contrary. this kind Of rehabili-
tation. without adequate plan
ming for the people being dis
placed. results In spreading the
blight. The Washington Hous-
ing Association questions
whether "the renters in the old
slums continue to live in the
area after the upgrading has
been completed" To our
knowledge, this has not been
true in our city. Furthermore,
the quoted national median
rental of $41.71 q month in re-
habilitated homes has not per-
tanned here. On the basis of
the evidence at hand. the VIVA
does not see how rehabilitation
can be considered "a specific
alternative TO public housing"
- xva YAAl- = . AaA IAn~T ~gA.,