Clarence Arthur Perry (March 4, 1872 – September 6, 1944
) was an American
urban planner
An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning.
An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...
, sociologist, author, and educator. Perry devised the neighbourhood unit plan, a residential community scheme disseminated through the Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs in 1929 that influenced planning in US cities.
Life
He was born in
Truxton, New York. He later worked in the New York City planning department where he became a strong advocate of the
neighborhood unit. He was an early promoter of neighborhood community and recreation centers.
He began his education as a student at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
for two years then finished his degree at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
in 1899. He was married to Dr. Julia St. John Wygant in 1901 with whom he had one daughter. In 1904 he continued at the
Teachers College of Columbia University. From 1904–1905 he served as principal of the
Ponce High School in
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...
, then became a special agent for the
United States Immigration Commission from 1908 to 1909. During the summer of 1912, he served as a lecturer at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he served overseas as a major then returned in 1924 as a lieutenant colonel in the reserves.
Work
As a staff member of the New York Regional Plan and the City Recreation Committee, Perry formulated his early ideas about the
neighbourhood unit and community life. In 1909 he became associated with the
Russell Sage Foundation
The Russell Sage Foundation is an American non-profit organisation established by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” It was named after her re ...
as associate director of recreation until 1937. His ideas were realized in neighborhoods like
Radburn through the work of
Clarence Stein.
He produced several books, many pamphlets and articles though is best remembered for his ''The Neighborhood Unit'' (The Neighbourhood Unit: From the Regional Survey of New York and Its Environs, Volume VII, Neighbourhood and Community Planning, 1929) and ''Housing for the Machine Age'' (1939).
Death
He died on September 5, 1944, in
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...
, at age 72. Was buried at Hillside Cemetery in
Cortlandt Manor, New York.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Clarence
1872 births
1944 deaths
American urban planners
Urban theorists
Teachers College, Columbia University alumni