Friday Quote: Charles Ascher

"There is no dearth of land on the fringes of most cities. Land appears to be available in large tracts, easily assembled, at reasonable prices. There is no cost for tearing down old structures. There are often fewer controls in the outlying townships, no building code, no zoning regulation. These factors attract the builder to the fringe land.

The families who are to live in the new homes are also attracted to the fringe in search of human values for themselves and their children; openness, greenery, play space, community feeling. Low taxes are accepted happily, without too much thought for the inadequacy of services that go with them.

This search is sometimes an illusion. If too few neighbors arrive, services remain inadequate. Streets remain unpaved, there is no good high school with easy reach. If the fringe land becomes more intensely developed, the demand for urban services police protection, better schools, — drives up the cost of government. The empty lots are no longer for softball games. The commuting grind may become wearing after a while.

Meanwhile, slums and blighted areas in the centers of cities rot."

- Charles Ascher, planner and director of the Urban Development Division of the Federal National Housing Agency in December 1945.

Source: Down to Earth

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