and improvement in Federal programs; (3) to encourage The chief means for implementing the program of the President's Committee was provided by the enactment of P.L. 87-274 (42 U.S.C. 29), the Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act of 1961 of September 22, 1961. The law authorized $10 million a year for three years to finance demonstration grants, training grants, and a technical assistance and information studies service for the prevention and control of delinquency. The Act is administered by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in consultation with the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime. Committee staff is essentially engaged in coordination of contract research and demonstration projects undertaken under the Juvenile Delinquency Act. Current urban research contracts relate to problems of youth employment and impacts of technological and social change on youth development and the compilation of information on youth behavior and delinquency. A number of demonstration projects were under way in fiscal year 1963 in some 17 cities. These projects are aimed at assisting localities to plan and carry out concerted drives on juvenile delinquency. Since these are locally oriented, they are not included in the survey tabulations, but costs of $6,164,640 are involved. In addition, the Committee sponsors a variety of training programs to prepare personnel for working with youthparticularly in the depressed areas of cities. The Committee's coordinative activities are in large measure informal, involving staff contacts and consultation with agency program and research personnel, systematic searching of relevant published material, etc. Since there are a wide variety of programs directly or indirectly concerned with youth problems, the Committee sees a need for an interagency informational clearinghouse which could serve as a locus for identifying significant trends and research needs and gaps and avoiding duplication of effort. Miscellaneous Agency Comments POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT: The Post Office Department conducts studies relating to the location of postal facilities and services in cities; however, these are all of only local utility and are thus excluded from the purview of this survey. The Department is a user of urban research and suggests that information concerning the content of urban studies be channeled to a central point in the Federal Government and that bibliographies of such research be published periodically. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY: In connection with its responsibilities relating to Federal fiscal policies, Treasury conducts research related to urban problems; however, this is generally in-house, informal, and ad hoc in nature and not in publishable form nor generalizable. Therefore, Treasury reports no urban research within the definition indicated in the survey. 81-820-64 FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK BOARD: This agency had conducted no research within the purview of this survey; However, it recognizes the need for information to guide it in the development of regulations for lending in the field of urban renewal. INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION: In reviewing various transportation legislation and in connection with its responsibility concerning railroad commutation problems, the Interstate Commerce Commission indicates some in-house research activity that could relate to the field of this survey; however, the Commission does not feel that these are of a type which would fall within its scope. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration conducts investigations into the impact of its installations on specific communities where they are located to ascertain adequacy of local resources and to provide information necessary for Federal assistance to such communities from appropriate agencies (Housing and Home Finance Agency, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, et al.). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration also promotes university research into new applications of space research to other fields (including community development). SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: This agency reports no current research activity within the scope of this survey, but has variously undertaken projects in the past which would-most recently a study of the impact of urban renewal on small businesses. TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY: The Tennessee Valley Authority carries on urban research, but it is specifically oriented to local problems and thus falls outside the scope of this survey. This agency provides technical assistance and guidance to State and local governments in such activities as well. PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON MIGRATORY LABOR: The Committee is a user of urban research, but such as it may generate would be undertaken within the Department of Labor. Other Agencies Canvassed The following agencies reported no urban research within the scope and definition of the survey and had no comments with respect to such research or research coordination. Department of Justice Atomic Energy Commission Federal Reserve System Federal Trade Commission Securities and Exchange Commission Smithsonian Institution United States Civil Service Commission APPENDIX U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS, Hon. KERMIT GORDON, Director, Bureau of the Budget, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. GORDON: Federal programs of assistance in the development of our cities and other urban areas have been increasing at a considerable rate in recent years. At the same time, there has been a general recognition of the need for better understanding of urban growth and development and for more systematic study of the economic, social, technological and governmental problems facing our urbanized and soon-to-be-urbanized populations. Such better understanding of the complex phenomenon of urbanization can benefit the Federal government both in dollar savings and in the achievement of national goals reflected in Federal legislation. We are aware that a number of studies of specific urban problems, of basic trends, and collection of statistics are under way in the Departments of Commerce; Health, Education, and Welfare; Agriculture; the Housing and Home Finance Agency; and a number of other Federal departments and agencies. Information on the nature and extent of this research effort would greatly assist the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations in carrying out its responsibilities for examination and investigation of intergovernmental relationships between the United States and the States and local governments in metropolitan areas. The Subcommittee would, therefore, like to request (1) a listing of Federal research activities on the subject of urban development and urban problems generally, currently being carried on or sponsored within the executive branch, including a summary description of these projects and the amount of funds involved; (2) a description of present methods and procedures employed by the Executive Office of the President, or through other executive branch organizational machinery, by which coordination of these urban research activities is effected among the departments and agencies and between the urban research activities of the Federal Government and those carried on by State and local agencies, universities, and other public and private groups; and (3) if you believe the need exists, an indication of the possibilities for improving present coordinating machinery for federally sponsored research, including suggested legislative action, if any. Any ideas that you may have as to anything the Subcommittee might do to be helpful in this area would also be very much appreciated. Sincerely yours, EDMUND S. MUSKIE, Chairman. SURVEY OF FEDERAL URBAN RESEARCH GUIDELINES FOR RESPONDENT DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES In order to assist agencies in responding to this survey of Federa and federally assisted urban research the following guidelines have been devised. Because of the great diversity of interests among the various departments and agencies, ultimate reliance will have to be placed upon good judgment in deciding whether a particular project or program can be classified as urban research in the sense of this survey. However, the following discussion is intended to assist in making such judgments. A. Required Information The Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations of the Senate Committee on Government Operations requests three types of information: 1. A listing of all Federal or federally assisted urban research, with a description of each activity and each project and the Federal funds involved in each. This would include, for each department or agency, urban research activities carried out by agency staff, by contract and under grant programs administered by the agency. 2. A description of methods and procedures for coordinating the urban research activities carried on by the department or agency with those being conducted by other Federal agencies, other levels of government, and other public and private groups. 3. Opinions of the department or agency as to how this coordination might be improved. Recommendations for new or improved coordination machinery and devices would be welcome along with suggestions for such administrative or legislative action as might be necessary for their achievement. B. Urban Research 1. Because this is an urban nation, it would be easy to relate a wide spectrum of research to urban life and development; however, the type of research in which the Subcommittee is interested is that which has as its primary focus the particularly urban quality of the phenomena being studied with the specific purpose of illuminating some facet, solving some problem, or gaining a measure of control over some element of urban life and development as such. In other words, the phenomena being studied are being studied because of their relationship to the urban environment; or, conversely, the urban environment, or some facet of it, is being studied in order to better understand certain phenomena of primary interest. Thus, public health agencies may need to study certain aspects of city life because of their impact on or significance for mental or physical health. A most important characteristic of the urban research with which this survey is concerned is that it is research which is generalizable in nature, its findings expected to be applicable to all urban areas, certain types or classifications of cities, or communities representative of those in a given region, etc. Finally, of course, this research may be of many natures, representing many disciplines and areas of study: planning, sociology, law, economics, medicine, psychology, political science, biology, engineering, etc. This suggests certain categories or types of research that may be excluded even though they are urban-related: (a) Research which is nongeneralizable as to locality. This is research concerning a particular urban area or part thereof which has as its primary purpose the solution of a local problem. This is as opposed to study of a type of problem in a given locality in order to discover ways of treating this problem in similar situations in other cities. For instance, in developing a local urban renewal program, much research is done on local housing needs, the economic base of the community, etc; however, the results of this research are not meant to be generalizable to other cities and are of only local utility. It is recognized, however, that generalizable material may come out of such local research by way of development of new theories, new methodologies, observation of hitherto unnoticed urban characteristics, etc. If certain programs tend to be productive of such materials, they should be noted even though actual current projects cannot be cited because such findings are generally unanticipated. Historical examples, however, might be noted. (b) Research which is incidental to carrying out an operational project. This is research which is a component of a project, the aim of which is the planning or construction of some specific development project. Thus, in planning a highway through a given metropolitan area research may be directed at new methods for projecting urban commutation patterns. This researchalthough perhaps generalizable is incidental to achieving the major objective, the construction of a particular highway. On the other hand, if special funds were allocated for the development of these methods or techniques, this research would fall within the scope of this survey; however, even as in (a) above, programs tending to be productive of generalizable information might be noted. (c) Technical or engineering research. In this type of research the focus is on the mechanical functioning, physical structure, etc., of the phenomenon studied rather than on its relationship to or impact on the urban environment. The line here may be hard to draw at times, for the purpose for which such research is undertaken may be directly as a result of attempts to solve a uniquely urban problem. For instance, attempts to develop more economical and efficient urban commuter buses may lead directly to research on fuel-injection pumps. In terms of this survey, then, this would qualify as urban research. If undertaken as part of the development of a new tank or weapons carrier, the same research would not qualify. 2. In summary, then, whether a given activity or project is listed as urban research will depend basically on the purpose for which it was undertaken. If the purpose is to throw more light on or gain a greater understanding of or measure of control over the urban environment or a particular aspect of it, it is urban research. If the purpose is to solve some general problem of a particular urban nature, or the urban environment is of particular significance to it, it is urban research. However, merely because the phenomenon studied is largely or even wholly located in urban communities does not by itself make that study urban research. Thus, a study of the leasing rates in 17 regional shopping centers may be oriented to solving certain retail pricing problems or to developing more efficient shopping center layouts: the fact that these centers are located in metropolitan areas is incidental to the main purpose of the study. Contrariwise, some research may be classified as urban research even though the phenomenon studied is not located in urban areas. Thus, a study of the problems of training rural dwellers of depressed areas for urban living and employment could well be classified as urban research as it requires investigation of the urban environment to which they will move. In |