ClarenceSteinIntroduction

Stein, Clarence, 18821975, American

architect, b. New YorkCity, studied
architecture at Columbia Univ. and the
coledesBeaux-Arts.Stein worked in the
office of Bertram Grosvenor
Goodhue,where he assisted in the planning
of the San Diego World's Fair (1915).Along
with Lewis Mumford and Henry Wright,
Stein was afounding member of the
Regional Planning Association ofAmerica,
a group instrumental in importing Ebenezer
Howard's garden city idea from England to
the United States.Stein and Wright
collaborated on the design of Radburn,
NewJersey (192832), a garden suburb
noted for its superblocklayout.Stein wrote
Toward New Towns for America (1951).

Contribution
Stein chaired the New York Commission of Housing and Regional Planning (1923 1926), for which his associateHenry Wrightproduced the first outline for a state plan
in America and which resulted in the first American public subsudy for housing. With
Wright, he planned "Sunnyside Gardens", an experimental 1200 unit housing
development on Long Island, New York (1924 - 1928) and "Radburn" at Fair Lawn, New
Jersey (1928 - 1929), "the first city for the motor age." During the 1930s, Stein
undertook public housing projects, such asHillside Homes, built in the Bronx, New
York (1935), advised the federal government on the greenbelt town program, and
consulted to the Public Works Administration and the U.S. Housing Authority.
As president of Civic Films, Incorporated (1938 - 1958), Stein played a major role in
production of "The City" (1939), the first urban documentary film. Stein was also
associated with Wright in the planning ofChatham Village, Pittsburgh (1932), a
primary advisor on the development ofBaldwin Hills Village, Los Angeles (1939 1940), architectural and site consultant for "Harbor Hills," San Pedro, California (1940),
chief architect for Fort Greene Houses, Brooklyn, New York (1941), and consulting
planner for the new town of Kitimat, British Colombia, Canada (1951).From 1951 to
1959, Stein edited theTown Planning Review(University of Liverpool).
As an architect, Stein was responsible for the design of Temple E-manu-el, New York
City (with R. Kohn and C. Butler), the Midtown Hospital and the Park West Hospital, New
York City (with C. Butler), the White Plains, New York, Meeting House, and the Wichita,
Kansas, Art Institute. Best noted for his work in low-cost housing and new community
design, Stein received the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects in 1956.

Basic concepts of Stein & Wright

The superblockis a large
block of land surrounded by
main roads.
The houses are grouped
around small cul-de-sacs,
each ofwhich has an access
road coming from the main
roads.
The remaining land inside the
superblock is park area, the
backbone ofthe
neighbourhood.
The living and sleeping
sections of the houses face
toward the garden and park
areas, while the service rooms
face the access road.

Sunnyside Garden
Built from 19241928Architects -Clarence
S.Stein, Henry Wright, and
Frederick Lee Ackerman
Landscape architect -Marjorie S.
CautleyOther founders-Elean
or Roosevelt, ethicist FelixAdler,
attorney ,housing developer
Alexander Bing, urban planner
Lewis Mumford.
Today, the 55 acres
ofSunnyside Gardens are
contained within 17 cityblocks,
with 535 row houses,32 co-ops,
and hundreds ofrental
apartments all adjoined by
garden spaces.

Sunnyside Garden-Salient features

Large areas of open space were
included in the plan.
Construction costs were
minimized.
Rows of one-to three-family private
houses with co-op and rental
apartment buildings were mixed
together and arranged around
common gardens.
Contiguous blocks are known as
Courts, with buildings enclosing
interior garden commons.
Lanes and walkways lead through
each block to divide the interior
space into three of four smaller
garden areas Stores and garages
placed around the edges of the
neighbourhood.
The area is known for one of
America's first planned
communities,Sunnyside Gardens

Radburn
Radburn, a planned community, was started in
1929 by the City Housing Corporation from the
plans developed by Clarence Stein and Henry
Wright.
The concept of the "new town" grew out of the
older planned communities in Europe and the work
of Ebenezer Howard and Patrick Geddes.
The intent was to build a community which
made provisions for the complexities of
modern life, while still providing the
amenities of open space, community service
and economic viability.

Radburn-"Town for the MotorAge"

LOCATION Radburn is located within the Borough of Fair Lawn,BergenCounty,
New Jersey, 12 miles from New York City.
ARCHITECTS- Clarence Stein and Henry Wright
BUILT IN- 1929
POPULATION- There are approximately 3100 people -some 680
families living in Radburn.
HOUSING- Housing consists of 469 single family homes, 48
townhouses,30 two family houses, a 93 unit apartment complex
and 10 condominium units

Radburn-SalientFeatures
The primary innovation
ofRadburn was the separation
ofpedestrian and vehicular
traffic.
This was accomplishedby doing
away with the traditional gridiron street pattern and
replacing it with the
superblock.
A pedestrian underpass and an
overpass, linking the superblocks,
were provided over streets with
vehicular traffic.
Another innovation ofRadburn was
that the parkswere secured
without additional cost to the
residents.
The savings in expenditures for
roads and public utilities at
Radburn, as contrasted with the
normal subdivision, paid for the
parks.

Impact of the Radburn idea

As the country struggled out of theDepression, the influence of
the Radburn Idea was first reflected in the various
Greenbeltcommunities ofthe Resettlement Administration and
later, in Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles and Kit mat. B. C.
The Idea then showed up in England and later in Swedenat
Vallingly, the huge Stockholmsuburb; at theBaronbackavna
Estate, Orebro and at the Beskopsgaden Estate, Goteborg.It was
in post world War II England that Radburn achieved generic
status. The "Radburn Plan", the "Radburn Idea", the "Radburn
Layout" appeared first at Coventry and later at Stevenage,
Bracknell and Cumbernauld.
It has since spread to Chandigarh, India; to Brazil; to several
towns in Russia and to a section of Osaka, Japan.The Japanese
community is almost an exact duplicate of Radburn.The "Idea"
finally returned to the United States at Reston, Virginia and
Columbia, Maryland.Several towns since have been modelled
after the "Radburn Plan".

Conclusion
Complete disregard for housing standards and desire for profit
regardless of the exploitation it entailed had produced high density,
excessive land coverage and decidedly badhousing. The theory that
these evils were essentially good business wasexploded. Good
planning was discovered to be aneffective instrument to
completewith bad planning. When laws were enacted to curb
irresponsiblebuilding of slums, the road was cleared forgood
planning with financial benefits as well as the restoration of positive
social values.The period of activity during the 20s and early 30sdid
not solve our urban housing ills but did provide a foundation upon
which future progress could be continued. Building companies
became conscious of theadvantage of investment inhousing.
Largescaleplanning opened the opportunity for arranging building
on the land so that all dwellings were well located. Asa permanent
investment such factorswere important, and good planning was
becoming good investment. Good planning built in permanent value.