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HOUSING RESOURCES COMMITTEE
ROOM 1204, CITY HALL
June 25, 1968
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mr. Cecil A. Alexander, Chairman
Housing Resources Committee
Recently I had a brief but very interesting discussion with
Scott Hudgens re low-income housing. He maintains that we are
pursuing the wrong track in trying to locate 16,800 or more
low-income housing units within the City Limits of Atlanta; that
we should be directing our major effort in securing substantial
tracts of undeveloped land in the adjoining counties, (1,000
acres or more perhaps_in each County) and work with neighboring
County governments to develop on it new so-called residential
"cities"; while at the same time encouraging housing development
within the City of Atlanta for the more affluent citizens, many
of whom are now living in the suburbs.
Mr. Hud maintains that unless this is done, it won't be
long before Atlanta (within the City Limits) will be clogged with
low-income residents, thus leaving insufficient space and
incentives for the more desirable elements of the population,
necessary to development and maintenance of a great City.
He says that land in the adjoining counties is available
now, and can be obtained at reasonable prices, and should be
sought in areas of realtive proximity to industrial development,
existing or proposed, which would provide employment for the
labor market thus created; that at the same time this should
tend to reliewe the traffic problem which is today chokingg the
Central City.
Mr. Hudgens argues that to succeed, these new communities
should be large enough to provide adequate facilities for
residential use, such as self contained shopping centers, schools,
churches, recreational facilities, civic organizations, etc.; and
that although there sho¥@d be some variety in gradation and type
MEMORANDUM
June 25, 1968
Page 2
of dwelling units, but by and large they should be geared
generally to low and moderate income families, which would
have similarities in background, education and environment,
in order to form a cohesive residential community.
Mr. Hudgens advised that he is able, ready and willing
to undertake such a project in one of the neighboring (perhaps
Douglas) Counties, provided it is determined that the City
(administration) wishes to move in this direction and will
lend active support to such an effort.
Another develope, Mendel Romn, Jr., has talked with me
on several occassions voicing substantially the same general
ideas and conclusions as expressed by Mr. Hudgens.
Mr. Romn maintains that one of the best examples of this
procedure today is Israel; that initially Israel tried and
utterly failed to develop small communities of mixed ethnic
groups of a few families each from different areas of the globe;
that there was too much divergence in their education, and in
their social and economic backgrounds to form any cohesiveness
in the new communities; and not until the Israeli Government
started groupings of several hundred families in the same
communities with similar habits, backgrounds and ethnic
experiences, was the experiment successful} and that now such
areas are well established and constitute substantial and
thriving communities.
These theories appear to have considerable metit, althought
they may be controversial and not in keeping with predomient
trends of the times.
Suggest that Mesers Hudgens and Romn be invited to meet
together in your office with a small selected group of our
Committee members, and perhaps the Mayor, to further explore
this theory.
Maicolm D. Jones
Housing Coordinator
ROOM 1204, CITY HALL
June 25, 1968
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mr. Cecil A. Alexander, Chairman
Housing Resources Committee
Recently I had a brief but very interesting discussion with
Scott Hudgens re low-income housing. He maintains that we are
pursuing the wrong track in trying to locate 16,800 or more
low-income housing units within the City Limits of Atlanta; that
we should be directing our major effort in securing substantial
tracts of undeveloped land in the adjoining counties, (1,000
acres or more perhaps_in each County) and work with neighboring
County governments to develop on it new so-called residential
"cities"; while at the same time encouraging housing development
within the City of Atlanta for the more affluent citizens, many
of whom are now living in the suburbs.
Mr. Hud maintains that unless this is done, it won't be
long before Atlanta (within the City Limits) will be clogged with
low-income residents, thus leaving insufficient space and
incentives for the more desirable elements of the population,
necessary to development and maintenance of a great City.
He says that land in the adjoining counties is available
now, and can be obtained at reasonable prices, and should be
sought in areas of realtive proximity to industrial development,
existing or proposed, which would provide employment for the
labor market thus created; that at the same time this should
tend to reliewe the traffic problem which is today chokingg the
Central City.
Mr. Hudgens argues that to succeed, these new communities
should be large enough to provide adequate facilities for
residential use, such as self contained shopping centers, schools,
churches, recreational facilities, civic organizations, etc.; and
that although there sho¥@d be some variety in gradation and type
MEMORANDUM
June 25, 1968
Page 2
of dwelling units, but by and large they should be geared
generally to low and moderate income families, which would
have similarities in background, education and environment,
in order to form a cohesive residential community.
Mr. Hudgens advised that he is able, ready and willing
to undertake such a project in one of the neighboring (perhaps
Douglas) Counties, provided it is determined that the City
(administration) wishes to move in this direction and will
lend active support to such an effort.
Another develope, Mendel Romn, Jr., has talked with me
on several occassions voicing substantially the same general
ideas and conclusions as expressed by Mr. Hudgens.
Mr. Romn maintains that one of the best examples of this
procedure today is Israel; that initially Israel tried and
utterly failed to develop small communities of mixed ethnic
groups of a few families each from different areas of the globe;
that there was too much divergence in their education, and in
their social and economic backgrounds to form any cohesiveness
in the new communities; and not until the Israeli Government
started groupings of several hundred families in the same
communities with similar habits, backgrounds and ethnic
experiences, was the experiment successful} and that now such
areas are well established and constitute substantial and
thriving communities.
These theories appear to have considerable metit, althought
they may be controversial and not in keeping with predomient
trends of the times.
Suggest that Mesers Hudgens and Romn be invited to meet
together in your office with a small selected group of our
Committee members, and perhaps the Mayor, to further explore
this theory.
Maicolm D. Jones
Housing Coordinator