Brooks, Richard. "Social Planning in Columbia."
Journal of the American Institute of Planners 37 (1971): 373-378.
Annotations / Notes: An evaluation of the planned community of Columbia at an early point in its development, the article contends that the transition from vision to implementation involves a series of social dilemmas. These included the shift from company town to "thriving democratic polity," the potential conflict between the vision of a new form of urban community versus the prevailing attraction of the suburban ideal, and questions about the appropriate balance between residential and commercial functions in a presumably "post-industrial" society. Brooks wonders whether the failure by the planner and many early residents to face up to the challenges of these dilemmas may represent a "heroic failure" for Columbia.