THE CITY IS THE PEOPLE

In view of the extent of postwar housing movements, it is important that the problems involved, from both historical and theoretical points of view, be surveyed. Mr. Churchill is an architect who has devoted years to study and practice in the fields of housing and city planning. He has imagination and vision, but is not starry-eyed. He approaches the subject from the social angle, first outlining city planning of the past, first when medieval cities were built around a dominating strurcture, for protection, and reflected the political, social and economic order of the time, as did later cities, such as Paris and Washington. But for the most part, cities in the United States grew out of necessity, with controls mere temporizing, directed more to preservation of land values than economics of land utilization. The result was over-crowding, false values, tax problems and vested interests. It took the slump to highlight the need to do something, and various remedial measures were instituted. Mr. Churchill tends to understate the contributions made, especially in methods of mortgages and finance. His eye is on the ideal of complete urban redevelopment, and the text analyzes such a program from all angles, -- physical, financial, political, social, economic and aesthetic; it shows the trend towards better use of land and creation of values in health, comfort, good living. Simply and well written, but because of technical nature, of appeal to special market.