DISTRICTING 



57 



Another general social factor that demands the zoning or districting of 

 the city for building purposes under the police power is the recognized evil 

 of congestion of population as exemplified on the lower East Side. All 

 students of the subject recognize that such congestion of population is a real 

 detriment to the. health and civic fitness of the population of the district and 

 a real menace to the welfare of the entire city. The problem is to prevent 

 the repetition of these conditions in other parts of the city. Restrictions that 

 would be upheld as reasonable for the present congested area would be 

 clearly inadequate to prevent the repetition in other districts of conditions 

 almost as bad as those now existing on the lower East Side. The only 

 method by which this can be accomplished is by permitting the creation 

 under the police power of different restrictions for different sections. 

 Surely the prevention of undue congestion of population is a matter of such 

 vital importance to the general welfare that it will justify any reasonable 

 classification of buildings according to type and district; especially if the 

 injury to vested interests resulting from such classification is comparatively 

 small. 



Manhattan with its skyscrapers is comparatively undeveloped. It is a 

 fact that a large proportion of the area of lower Manhattan is now so 

 poorly developed that the existing improvements are reckoned of no value 

 for purposes of purchase or sale. The bare value of the land is all that is 

 considered. This means that a large portion of the land of Manhattan is 

 very inadequately utilized. Where space is so scarce this inadequate utiliza- 

 tion is a great social and economic loss. This partial development and poor 

 utilization of the land is even more apparent in all the other boroughs. A 

 considerable percentage of the land even in what are considered built up 

 districts, is either vacant or very inadequately utilized. In the suburbs the 

 sprawling character of building development is everywhere apparent. The 

 natural result of a poor utilization of its land area by a city is high rents 

 for occupiers and low profits for investors. It may seem paradoxical to 

 hold that a policy of building restriction tends to a fuller utilization of land 

 than a policy of no restriction, but such is undoubtedly the case. The reason 

 lies in the greater safety and security to investment secured by definite 

 restrictions. The restrictions tend to fix the character of the neighborhood. 

 The owner therefore feels that if he is to secure the maximum returns from 

 his land, he must promptly improve it in conformity with the established 

 restrictions. For example, he will not be deterred from immediate improve- 

 ment by the consideration that while a detached house is at present an 

 appropriate improvement it is probable that in 10 years an apartment house 

 would be appropriate and that by waiting he will not only be able to reap 

 the advantage of greatly increased land values, but will save great deprecia- 

 tion in the value of the detached house due to the fact that it has become an 

 inappropriate improvement for the lot. 



The same principle applies in the case of most types of buildings. As a 

 general rule, a building is appropriately located when it is in a section 



