Talk:J. C. Nichols

Untitled

I cleaned up the grammar and usage of the article. I also condensed the discussion of restrictive covenants. Nichols did not invent the race-based restrictive covenant model. It had been used in Boston a century before. Nichols did utilize restrictive covenants, but these his restrictive covenants were not only about race--he used restrictive covenants to cover all aspects of his development. The article is not a proper place for an extensive discussion about race relations in Kansas City in the 20th century, although this is worth mentioning in this article--which is why I summarized it and condensed it. Moreover, the former article included an extended discussion of what a restrictive covenant is, which was unnecessary since there is an entire article devoted to them.

Only one inline citation

There's some interesting material in this article, such as the explanation of "building for permanence" and Nichols' advocacy for restrictive covenants.

The article could be improved:

• With more inline citations
• By noting that Nichols was also an advocate for residential zoning laws, and preferred them over restrictive convenants
• Adding background about what he considered to be model communities, such as Palos Verdes Estates in Los Angeles County, Roland Park in Baltimore, and Forrest Hills Gardens in Queens.
• Noting his influence on later developers, like Will Hogg and Hugh Potter, the developers of River Oaks in Houston, TX, and James Rouse, developer of Columbia, MD.
• Noting that many planning techniques that Nichols advocated are now standard practice

There is one statement that seems dubious, "Moreover, the New Urbanists, developers who design to combat suburban sprawl, look to the Country Club District as a model for modern developments." This is a factual statement without a supporting reference, and I question that New Urbanists generally believe this.

Here is a blurb about Nichols that I hope to incorporate with the other edits: Nichols served in leadership positions of local and national real estate and planning organizations. He was a member of the Kansas City Real Estate Board, was director of National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), headed the National Conference of Subdividers, chaired the Community Builders’ Council of the Urban Land Institute, and was a member of the General Committee of the National Conference on City Planning. Oldsanfelipe (talk) 13:36, 22 July 2013 (UTC)oldsanfelipe

References