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190 Annals Am. Acad. Pol. & Soc. Sci. xv (1937)

handle is hein.cow/anamacp0190 and id is 1 raw text is: FOREWORD
The provision which individuals make for shelter has far-reaching influence on
society. Its ramifications pervade the whole social and economic fabric of the
community. In the flux of modern urban life many forces converging on resi-
dential property introduce instability of use and insecurity of investment.
Shifts of economic groups from area to area affect the quality of investment.
Fluctuations in volume of new construction of residential buildings exercise a
marked influence on the aggregate amount of employment. Scarcity and surfeit
of the supply of dwellings give rise to a chain of consequences for lenders, owners,
and tenants. The magnitude of the aggregate investment in residential property
and the relatively fixed character of obligations which are usually incident to the
ownership of real estate give it a significant role in our national economy. In
view of the importance of expenditures for shelter in the budget of the individual
and the social significance of adequate housing, the quality of shelter and the
conditions under which it can be obtained become matters of community interest.
When the spotlight of surveys was thrown upon housing conditions in the
United States, we found that a substantial portion of the population was housed
in quarters which were undesirable, and a sizable percentage of all dwellings were
unfit for human habitation. In her study, Slums and Blighted Areas, Edith
Elmer Wood analyzed numerous surveys of rural and urban housing conditions
and concluded that practically all housing renting for less than $20 per month in
1930 was substandard. The census of 1930 indicated that approximately one
third of all rented urban houses were in this rental class. According to Dr.
Wood, approximately five million farmhouses were substandard.
The problem of obtaining socially and physically desirable shelter for the
families using such substandard housing is what is ordinarily referred to as the
housing problem. While this is an immediate and pressing problem, such a nar-
row definition would ignore the broader problem of achieving security of
shelter for the large part of the population not found in substandard dwellings.
Less dramatic, but none the less real, is the problem of developing an efficient
system of ownership of residential property in which all economic groups may
acquire use or ownership under conditions which safeguard investment and elim-
inate unnecessary costs.
Clearly, the issues to be met in attaining either goal are numerous. The pur-
pose of this volume is to contribute to a better understanding of the factors in-
volved in achieving adequate housing for all economic groups. While the litera-
ture in the field is large and is growing, it has for the most part stressed the
social pathology of poor housing, and has afforded little analysis of numerous
economic considerations involved in promoting improved housing. Many of
these have been singled out for discussion in this volume.
DAVID T. ROWLANDS
COLEMAN WOODBURY

xv

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