City Planning and the U.S. Census: 1910 to 1960

Macdonald, H

City Planning and the U.S. Census: 1910 to 1960

Macdonald, H

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Planning History, 2008, 7 (4), pp. 263 - 294
Issue Date:: 2008-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Macdonald, H https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2105-5919	en_US
dc.date.issued	2008-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Planning History, 2008, 7 (4), pp. 263 - 294	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1538-5132	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/9798
dc.description.abstract	Although planners rely on census data for many tasks, they are often frustrated by its limitations. This article examines the evolution of this ambiguous relationship (during the period 1910 to 1960) through four roughly chronological development stages. Data were seen first as an engine of social reform, then as the basis for a science of planning, next as a way to manage social and economic crisis, and finally as a way to justify government decisions. The article concludes that the limitations of official statistics are historically contingent, a result of Congress's lack of support, the federal bureaucracy's indifference to spatially detailed data, and planners' abandonment of the argument. © 2008, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Planning History	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1177/1538513208315847	en_US
dc.title	City Planning and the U.S. Census: 1910 to 1960	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	4	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	7	en_US
utslib.for	1205 Urban and Regional Planning	en_US
utslib.for	2103 Historical Studies	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CCDP - Contemporary Design Practice
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	4	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	7	en_US

Abstract:

Although planners rely on census data for many tasks, they are often frustrated by its limitations. This article examines the evolution of this ambiguous relationship (during the period 1910 to 1960) through four roughly chronological development stages. Data were seen first as an engine of social reform, then as the basis for a science of planning, next as a way to manage social and economic crisis, and finally as a way to justify government decisions. The article concludes that the limitations of official statistics are historically contingent, a result of Congress's lack of support, the federal bureaucracy's indifference to spatially detailed data, and planners' abandonment of the argument. © 2008, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/9798