J OSEPH L. INTERMAGGIO 141 



tion of doubtful validity. I agree with him that "we cannot prove 

 fully, or balance out satisfactorily and finally the scale factors in- 

 volved in urbanization." It seems that much of the higher income in 

 cities is spent for increased costs of housing, food, and service. No 

 unusual use of resources appears to be involved here. Furthermore, 

 a substantial part of urban taxes taken out of higher urban income is 

 used to provide for nonurban needs. 



Recreation needs are not generated by urban development. They 

 arise out of the whole pattern of income, technology, and leisure 

 time. Dr. Gulick makes a good summary of this problem, "the grow- 

 ing urban regions, with their expanding economic activities . . . will 

 need and demand more acres of open space within easy reach, more 

 resources for wide, uncrowded, free re-creation of bodies, minds, 

 and spirits." 



Recreation must be viewed as a conservation measure of human 

 resources, not as a consumer of natural resources. Our present 

 recreation resources are grossly underdeveloped and for the city 

 dweller too distant and often accessible only on vacation. We just 

 need more parks, as Dr. Gulick points out. Yet many potential rec- 

 reation areas — our beaches, woodlands, lakefronts, and stream val- 

 leys — are still being pre-empted for commercial, industrial, and hous- 

 ing developments. In our concern for the preservation of the natural 

 resources of the nation, the relative availability of open space for the 

 crowded urban dweller of moderate means also must be considered. 



Dr. Gulick describes the need to develop "new concepts of recre- 

 ation . . . matched to urban life and the changing age pattern of our 

 people." While I was glad to see the suggestion to fill some of this 

 need "in the confines of the urban design itself," only the planned 

 development of urban regions offers opportunities to integrate recre- 

 ation needs with other essential needs. The pressure on existing 

 recreation facilities will be relieved to the extent that the potential 

 demand is distributed. 



For our' growing population no alternative is offered to the exten- 

 sion of the urban areas. We are not developing satellite cities and 

 towns. The most serious aspect of this problem is the encroachment 

 on desirable agricultural land having unique qualities. Although all 

 the metropolitan areas combined occupy only 7 per cent of the total 



