NECESSITY FOR A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF CITY BUILDING 13 



trial districts, retail business districts, apartment house and hotel districts, 

 tenement house districts, private dwelling districts. Generally speaking, 

 a building is appropriately located when it is in a section surrounded by 

 buildings of similar type and use. Strong social and economic forces work 

 toward a natural segregation of buildings according to type and use. 

 In general, the maximum land values and the maximum rentals are obtained 

 where this segregation and uniformity are most complete. One purpose of 

 districting regulations is to strengthen and supplement the natural trend 

 toward segregation. 



In spite of the natural trend toward segregation, building development 

 in many parts of the city is haphazard. The natural trend toward segrega- 

 tion and uniformity is not strong enough to prevent the sporadic invasion 

 of a district by harmful or inappropriate buildings or uses. Once a district 

 has been thus invaded, rents and property values decline, loans are called 

 and it is difficult ever to reclaim the district to its more appropriate use. 

 Individual property owners are helpless to prevent the depreciation of their 

 property. The districting plan will do for the individual owners what they 

 cannot do for themselves — set up uniform restrictions that will protect 

 each against his neighbor and thus be of benefit to all. 



While in New York City economic forces tend to the segregation of 

 industries of the heavier type along the water and rail terminals, and to 

 the segregation of certain light industries near the wholesale, retail, hotel 

 and passenger terminal center in Manhattan, there are many kinds of light 

 industry that are- free from any segregating force and locate indiscrimi- 

 nately throughout the city. They are found scattered throughout the 

 business and residential sections, especially the residential sections, from 

 which their labor supply is recruited. The factory is usually a blight within 

 a residential section. It destroys the comfort, quiet and convenience of 

 home life. There is nothing more vital to the city than the housing of its 

 people. The exclusion of trade and industries from the residential streets 

 is essential to wholesome and comfortable housing. Stores, garages and 

 other business buildings scattered among the residences are a constant 

 menace to residence property. The concentration of all the neighborhood 

 business buildings on the business streets makes the transaction of busi- 

 ness more convenient. The segregation of dwellings on the exclusively 

 residential streets adds to the convenience, quiet and amenities of home life, 

 and thus tends to increase property values on such streets. 



In New York City the purely private injury incident to haphazard 

 development has become so serious and widespread as to constitute a great 

 public calamity. Through haphazard construction and invasion by inappro- 

 priate uses the capital values of large areas have been greatly impaired. 

 This destruction of capital value, not only in the central commercial and 

 industrial section of Manhattan, but also throughout the residential sections 

 of the five boroughs, has reached huge proportions. It does not stop with 

 the owners in the areas immediately affected, but is reflected in depressed 



