where the people are available. Also, I would like to mention that our State legislature is setting aside funds for the acquisition of further park lands.

These are capital investments, and funds available could be used for the development of these green areas which will be for the use of our citizens in the future.

Senator NELSON. Are you appearing in behalf of the conference of mayors?

Mayor BABIARZ. Yes. I was asked to appear on behalf of the conference of mayors. We have had statements from various mayors sent directly to you.

Senator CLARK. Mayor Babiarz, has the conference of mayors adopted a resolution adopting this legislation?

Mayor BABIARZ. I don't think this was proposed at the time of our annual conference which was held in May.

Senator CLARK. You will have another one next May?

Mayor BABIARZ. Yes. But in general we indorse these types of projects. I am sure that the mandate will be at the next convention. Senator CLARK. Thank you very much, Mayor. We appreciate your being with us.

Mayor BABIARZ. I thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator CLARK. Our next witness is Mr. James G. Banks, executive director, United Planning Organization, Washington.

Mr. Banks, I see you have a fairly elaborate statement here and a number of tabulations connected with it. All this material will be put in the record at this point. Will you just summarize what your views are and hit any of the high spots you think appropriate. (The prepared statement of Mr. Banks follows:)

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JAMES G. BANKS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNITED

PLANNING ORGANIZATION

Mr. Chairman, my name is James G. Banks, executive director of the United Planning Organization with offices at 1225 19th Street NW., in Washington, D.C. The United Planning Organization is a new organization in the Washington area which was formed as a result of the realization by community leaders that a unified effort was needed to develop a comprehensive program of economic and social betterment for the community. The United Planning Organization is a private, nonprofit corporation with a board of trustees representing a broad cross section of public and private agencies and citizens. Through agreements which have been worked out with the Health and Welfare Council of the National Capital Area and the District of Columbia government, UPO will serve as the local community action agency for overall planning and coordination of the proposed Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Our organization also serves as the local agency for the Ford Foundation "gray areas" program, as well as being the designee for implementation of a plan for combating juvenile delinquency which was developed under the auspices of the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency.

I have been asked to appear here today to supply your committee with technical information relating to unemployment and open spaces in the National Capital area which we hope will be of assistance to your committee in its review of the proposed Human and Resource Conservation Act of 1964.

First, I would like to speak of the unemployment problem as it exists in Washington. UPO is concerned with a disturbing paradox of American society which exists in more striking form in the National Capital area than in any other major American metropolis. This paradox is the continuing existtence of poverty in the midst of plenty.

Metropolitan Washington's median family income of $7,577 in 1959 was the highest among the Nation's 15 largest metropolitan areas. Its unemployment rate, under 3 percent, was the lowest.

The area's educational level is extremely high: Over half of the adult population has had some training beyond the high school level. The overall quality of its housing supply, its residential neighborhoods, its parks and public facilities is unusually good.

That poverty exists at all in such a setting may seem incredible. But poverty of the most abject sort is to be found here. Its continuance in the Capital City of the most prosperous country in the world poses a special challenge; for Washington is not only the Nation's seat of Government, but its showcase to the world. As such, it can and does draw upon the resources, both human and financial, of the entire United States. If poverty cannot be eliminated here, it probably cannot be eliminated anywhere.

In large parts of Metropolitan Washington, unemployment is far below the level generally defined by economists as "frictional"; often, in fact, it is under 1 percent of the civilian labor force. Yet there are substantial sections of the central city where 10 percent or more of all workers are jobless.

Even in the suburbs, occasional pockets will be found where unemployment rates exceed the national average.

While large areas of the city and its suburbs have median family incomes exceeding $10,000, there are also sections containing thousands of people where more than half the families earn less than $3,000. Despite the high overall quality of the area's housing, in a sizable number of census tracts both in the city and in the suburbs, more than 1 dwelling in 10 is dilapidated; in some, more than 1 in 5. Many of these same neighborhoods also exhibit is a distressing lack of decent school facilities, safe places to play, and the other attributes of a good environment in which to raise children.

In 1960 approximately 23,000 persons in Metropolitan Washington were classified as unemployed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The number is believed to be approximately the same today. In recent years, as the area's supply of jobs and of workers have grown dramatically, its unemployed population has remained remarkably constant.

Although the District of Columbia has only about one-third of Metropolitan Washington's total population, it has two-thirds of its unemployment. In 1960, almost 15,000 unemployed persons resided in the District.

Most of the District's unemployed are Negro. And almost everywhere in the city and its suburbs where high unemployment rates exist, a substantial Negro population will be found.

By far the highest rates of unemployment in this area, as is true nationally, are found among young people. Negro young people are in a particularly unfortunate situation, with about 1 nonwhite male in 10 in the labor force being unemployed at age 21, and almost one in 5 at age 18.

There is reason to believe, moreover, that the existing statistics considerably understate the extent of unemployment in the National Capital area. Much of the long-term hard core unemployment may be concealed by statistics which do not record a person as unemployed unless he has recently looked for a job. Those too discouraged to continue trying are excluded.

We lack precise statistics on the educational and skill levels of the area's unemployed. There is good reason to believe, however, that both are predominantly low. Neighborhoods with high unemployment rates often have low educational levels; and the last jobs held by most of the unemployed were in occupations with low skill requirements.

Projections of future job openings in the National Capital area indicate that most will be in professional, technical, and other highly skilled occupations; the number of laboring jobs will increase little if at all. Thus, either those without jobs must be helped to increase their skills, or jobs must be created of kinds which suit their present capabilities. UPO plans to attack the problem from both directions, with experimental action programs, providing more training opportunities and with more opportunities for employment of those with limited skills.

One of the most perplexing and disconcerting aspects of the poverty problem, in Washington and elsewhere, is the way in which it is passed on from one generation to the next. The homes and neighborhoods available to most of the area's low-income families do not constitute a safe or healthy, let alone socially desirable, environment for the upbringing of children.

Among the most depressing aspects of most of Washington's low-income neighborhoods, as with those of most other metropolitan areas, is the combination of overcrowding and inadequate facilities. Too many people live in too little space; the absence of trees and grass, the lack of safe places for children to play, the

drab and sordid nature of the surroundings, contribute to making it difficult for the younger generation to escape the poverty of their parents.

The preservation and expansion of open spaces within a metropolitan area is of paramount interest to anyone concerned with providing a decent urban environment. I would like to highlight some of the statistics on open spaces in the National Capital region. In order to avoid boring you with too many statistics I am attaching some detailed material on pertinent open space which was prepared in January 1964 by the George Washington University under a contract with the National Capital Planning Commission. The total amount of open space in the National Capital area is 118,247 acres. This includes 9,992 acres in the District of Columbia, 60,466 acres in Virginia, and 118,247 acres in Maryland. In terms of usage, outdoor recreational facilities represent the greatest acreage and the largest number of properties; park land represents the third greatest total acreage and the second largest number of properties. The National Park Service is the largest operator of land with open space use.

There are other open space lands near enough to the National Capital area to be of significance in considering the employment of urban youth in conservation projects. A great deal of detailed and highly valuable material is found in the National Capital Open-Space Project, Technical Report No. I, which was published by the National Capital Regional Planning Council in 1963. For example, this report points out that within a 75-mile radius of Washington, there are currently six programs of improvement in small watersheds being carried out under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1964. The Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, and the Department of the Army's Corps of Engineers' water resource development and shore protection programs are other examples of open space, conservation projects which could provide employment for the unskilled.

In developing a program of conservation of open spaces, utilizing relatively unskilled, unemployed persons, there are a number of areas of endeavor which should be considered. First, there could be an intensificatior of routine maintenance of city parks, rivers, squares, and playgrounds. This would involve supplementing existing public agency personnel to provide: Adequate maintenance necessary for decent appearance (many public spaces are filled with litter and weeds); an appropriate horticultural maintenance program (including decent lawn care, cultivation, insect and disease control, and erosion and dust control); and maintenance for structures, street furniture, and pavements.

Secondly, present green areas could be expanded by the cleaning and development of public and private vacant land and lots. In the private sector this could be done in conjunction with a public sanitation project.

Thirdly, we could intensify the development of open spaces. There are few flowers, few benches, and bleak pavements in most public open areas. These spaces could be enriched and the city dignified with more adequate facilities and more color and beauty.

Finally, there is a great deal of public and private land in outlying areas which could be developed. Much of it is accessible for recreational use by city residents and it also could provide space for gardens and pets.

The possibilities I have mentioned could be implemented with the use of few materials in a relatively inexpensive manner. There would have to be adequate training for supervisors and foremen. Hand tools, a few power tools, and some motor vehicles would be needed in addition to some building materials which might be salvaged from urban renewal demolition sites. Simple workshop facilities would have to be provided and topsoil and compost depots would have to be available.

I hope that this information offers your committee increased insight into the paradoxical unemployment problems of the Nation's Capital and its relationship to untapped potentials for effecting a more attractively useful community.

MATERIAL PREPARED BY GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY FOR THE NATIONAL CAPITAL PLANNING COMMISSION

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

Pertinent open space and related data for the 10 Capital region jurisdictions

Major operators of land with open space use, arranged first in order of number of properties and second in order of size in acres

STATEMENT OF JAMES G. BANKS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNITED PLANNING ORGANIZATION, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Mr. BANKS. Mr. Chairman, as executive director of the United Planning Organization we have a vital interest in efforts to provide better play and work space for the residents of the National Capital area and in the process to provide opportunities for increased employment and those persons presently unemployed in the area.

The statement we have submitted to the committee is a presentation of our ideas on this matter; the statement as related to the legislation itself has not been considered by the United Planning Organization, so therefore I am not in a position to give you their views. This paper presents technical materials which we feel are relevant to the conditions in the National Capital area and its relationship to the proposed legislation.

Senator NELSON. Among the objectives that I had in mind in proposing this bill is not only the objective of getting constructive conservation work done, not only the objective of getting opportunity for useful employment in the field of unskilled workers, but also the objective of providing some opportunity for young people in our big metropolitan areas.

Can you give us any idea, for example, of what the employment situation is in this metropolitan area for young people who are out of high school?

Mr. BANKS. The employment situation is particularly bad for young men between the ages of 18 and 25, especially Negro young men who live in the central city. Now the unemployment rate for the National Capital area is pretty low, about 3 percent.

Senator NELSON. What percent?

Mr. BANKS. Three percent. But when you consider the concentration of certain sectors of the population as well as the young unemployed Negro men in the central city, this percentage goes far above 10 percent. This makes it particularly difficult in a community in which the opportunities for unskilled employment are constantly decreasing.