94 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



Houses were wall to wall and built of permanent materials which 

 means the countryside is preserved. In other words, a compact 

 village and open country. 



I do not want to talk too long, but let me talk for a second or 

 two more. You are all familiar, if you fly over the cities of this coun- 

 try, with these millions and millions of little worthless, expedient, 

 wooden boxes all placed on dangerous roadways involving extended 

 utility lines and complete loss of that precious commodity of privacy. 

 You reach the point where you can shake hands with your neigh- 

 bor out of the window. 



This is all wrong, needless to say. How can we plan cities like 

 that? Take the city of Bath, England, which is, in effect, a city 

 where you see great monumental crescents in open countryside, 

 but which are really row houses of a high order. 



Now, row housing is a dirty word, but it makes so much sense. 

 Unfortunately, our row housing was all done as an economic 

 expedient. 



My question is how can we change this pattern? I have talked, 

 for instance, to large developers, Mr. Levitt on the east coast and 

 Mr. Eichler on the west coast and all wish to change this pat- 

 tern. Granted, a single-family dwelling is a mass-produced thing 

 like a Ford automobile, but even the developers are willing to re- 

 tool and change. 



How, may I ask, can we stop and change the pattern of the 

 single-family dwelling? 



I grant you this is like being against God, mother, and country, 

 but it is all wrong. 



PATRICK HORSBRUGH. Under the terms of townscape may 

 I make the special plea for the need to study the social and thera- 

 peutic values of water and for the ecological and local climatic ef- 

 fects of water and for the visual and economic benefits of ex- 

 posed water. 



Much has been said in favor of foliage. More needs to be said 

 on the study, value and vitality of water in conditions of high popu- 

 lation pressures. 



WALTER REUTHER. I had the privilege of hearing President John- 

 son's inspiring address at the University of Michigan when he 

 called upon Americans to join in the building of the "Great So- 

 ciety." I was most impressed when he said, "As members of that 



