Volume 1

Long-range program and research needs in aging and related fields : hearings before the Special Committee on Aging, United States Senate, Ninetieth Congress, first session Washington, D.C. December 5 and 6, 1967.

  • United States Senate Special Committee on Aging
Date:
1968-
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Long-range program and research needs in aging and related fields : hearings before the Special Committee on Aging, United States Senate, Ninetieth Congress, first session Washington, D.C. December 5 and 6, 1967. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, Princeton, N.J., December 8, 1967. DEAR SENATOR WILLIAMS: My apologies for this belated reply to your request for my views on matters pertaining to older persons. Our Research Center is currently engaged in four projects, and I have had to be in the field several days each week. Although the Federal government has made great strides forward during the past several years, geared toward providing financial security, job opportunities, adequate housing, and health and leisure facilities for our older citizens, the needs of these people are still unfulfilled and inerease with each passing year. Research has been undertaken through many channels, including universities, yet many important areas remain unexplored. There is also a need for a compila- tion of all research efforts completed and underway that are directly concerned with the elderly. . Being fully aware of the accomplishments that were a direct result of the 1961 White House Conference on Aging, I heartily concur with your proposal to con- duct another conference on this vital topic. I urge that it be held in 1970, rather than in 1971, provided the necessary background papers can be completed. Cer: tainly a reappraisal of current programs and efforts is in order, and should be made as soon as possible. j I believe you will be interested in one of our projects now underway. We are attempting to find ways to help the disadvantaged in our cities to find constructive means for rebuilding their own community. We are working with the Human Renewal Corporation, a non-profit housing group, in Newark’s Central Ward. The enclosed copy of a story that appeared in the [Newark] Star-Ledger on November 19, 1967, sheds some light on our endeavors. Sincerely yours, BERNARD P. SPRING, Director, Research Center for Urban and Environmental Planning. [Enclosures] RESEARCH CENTER FOR URBAN AND HINVIRONMENTAL PLANNING, ScHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY. The Research Center for Urban and Environmental Planning was established within the School of Architecture in 1966. The Center provides a focus for faculty members, staff, and students who are interested in research concerning the methods used in solving complex problems of planning for the rebuilding and growth of the built environment. Major attention is focused on the wants as well as the needs of the people. Research projects undertaken by the Center are intended to develop funda- mental knowledge and theory which will clarify the problem-solving process that may be used by communities and the professional groups which serve the commu- nities. Typical study areas are (1) methods of specifying performance require- ments ; (2) methods of generating alternative solutions; (3) methods of evaluat- ing planning alternatives and developments. Theories are being built by working in the cities and the suburbs where social, political, economic, and physical problems exist. Such problems range in scale from the consideration of the growth of an entire region, the development of new towns, the reconstruction and rehabilitation of urban centers, the planning of institutional complexes, and the development of building systems and components. The Center is currently working closely with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in considering the problems involved in implementing New Jersey S new middle-income housing program. Effective planning depends on knowing how human beings respond to different kinds of surroundings, and this important factor is being examined. The practical side of implementing the middle-income program involves proper expression by the community desiring to take advantage of the legislation. Two guide books will result from the study— one for the architects and one for the local community group. The mode of operation of the Center revolves around a weekly seminar for the review and discussion of ongoing research. The multi-disciplinary approach and insights are provided by 24 participants representing numerous departments at Princeton and other institutions. The academic disciplines currently involved eee epee! eal Scere sociology, economics, geography, psychology, : , environmental sciences j - dents Lo hgoteencae hele , and history. A number of graduate stu random selection of some of the disciplinary approaches to urban problems provides some idea of the scope and nature of fie Uontse An enone is. de-