19 
The New England Regional Commission in its recently released 
regional development plan proposed to— 
Identify, develop, execute * * * four model demonstrations of new communi- 
ties in New England. These demonstrations will meet housing needs in a form 
appropriate to the selected areas and will emphasize the development of com- 
munities within the fabric of existing metropolitan areas * * *.5 
In a study undertaken for the New England Economic Research 
Foundation it was reported that: 
A new community * * * in a suburban area of Springfield, and drawing on 
the Springfield area for a sizable measure of infrastructure facilities and services, 
might be plausible. This would be a new community with a sizable share of its 
own economic base and infrastructure. Similar cases could be made for the 
Bridgeport, New Haven and Worcester areas, and perhaps, one or two others.® 
Several legislative resolves have recently been introduced by mem- 
bers of the general court calling for an investigation by a special com- 
mission relative to the establishment of new communities in Massa- 
chusetts.’ Thus, there is a significant and substantial interest in the 
potential role new communities could play in meeting some of the 
current needs as well as anticipating many of the future needs of the 
Commonwealth. 
In the past several years, a variety of proposals to develop new com- 
munities in Massachusetts have been introduced: 
There are proposals to create small, modern towns in depressed rural areas as 
a means of providing a superior urban infrastructure, facilities, and services at 
an economic scale, to depressed rural populations, living in surrounding settle- 
ments too small, too dilapidated, too deficient in services to provide a base for 
growth and development. There are new resort communities, with second vacation 
homes, springing up with the boom in New England’s greatest. export industry— 
recreation and tourism. There are large-scale urban development projects, serving 
middle-income families, under construction in the suburban cities and towns in 
some of the more rapidly growing metropolitan areas of the region. There are 
detailed proposals to create new towns-in-town on manmade or newly cleared 
land in the harbors of some of the very large central cities of the region, to provide 
new industry and a new urban environment, in part for urban poverty neighbor- 
hood residents. There is an elaborate design for a full-blown new town, with its 
own economic base, fashioned to give urban poverty neighborhood residents an 
opportunity for better jobs and a superior environment in a new city to be built 
on the outer fringes of an expanding metropolitan area. 
The suburban cities and towns of New England’s metropolitan areas 
may experience a population growth of three-fifths im 20 years’ time. 
Can new communities address some of the problems that can be 
expected to develop as urbanization continues? 
NEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN METROPOLITAN AREAS: “THE 
GROWTH POINT THEORY” 
The issue is not whether metropolitan growth and expansion will 
occur, but rather how, where, and when it will occur.® Although some 
5 ie ee Regional Commission, Recommended Regional Development Plan (Washington, D.C.) 
uly , Dp. 33. 
6 Alexander Ganz, et al. “New England’s Urban Development: Emerging Patterns and Issues,’ ch. 
IX, “Potential Role of New Communities as Growth Centers,’’ (New England Economie Research Foun- 
dation), January 1969, p. 23. 
7 Bills numbered H. 4554, H. 2258, S. 184, spring session, 1970 of the Massachusetts General Court. 
§ Ganz. op. cit., p. 2. 
9 In response to this need, several of New England’s States are already involved in some stage of planning 
promotion, and development of new communities. Connecticut’s interregional planning program outlines 
‘our alternative patterns of urban growth emphasizes communities with a high degree of self-sufficiency, 
and accommodates new community development. Rhode Island’s comprehensive transportation as a 
Jand-use planning program presents five alternative land-use plans, including two which lend themselves 
to new community development. Vermont is actively engaged in planning for new rural communitiees as 
well as resort communities. In Massachusetts, the Department of Administration and Finance, Office 
of Planning and Program Coordination, has the question of new communities on its agenda; but as yet 
there has been no interagency effort made to consider the question carefully. 
