Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

David Pass papers, C0037, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by the estate of David Pass, July 25, 2008.

Processing Information

Documents removed from folders binders were placed together into acid-free folders with a photocopy of the original binder and folder information. Selected books relating to urban planning and new towns were placed in the Special Collections and Archives reference collection.

Processed in September 2008 by Jordan Patty. EAD markup completed in September 2008 by Jordan Patty.

Biographical Information

David Pass was born on January 14, 1938 in Paterson, New Jersey, and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1954. Pass earned a B.A. from Columbia University in New York in 1958, a M.A. from the Architecture School in 1962, a B.S. from the Engineering School in 1964, a M.A. in city planning from University of California in Berkeley (also in 1964), and the equivalent of a Ph.D. in city planning from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in 1969. During his years as a student, he worked primarily as a planner for both public and private organizations in New York, Sweden, and California. From 1964-1969, he worked in the Royal Institute of Technology as the project director and chief researcher on "Vallingby and Farsta: The Suburban Development process in a Large Swedish City," which was later published as a book by MIT Press. Following his work in Sweden, he returned to the United States to work as the Director of New Communities and Environmental Quality in the New York State Urban Development Corporation. A career employee of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1973 until his 2003 retirement, Pass worked as the Senior Financial and Economic Advisor in the New Community Development Corporation and, late in his career, in Indian Affairs. In addition to writing "Vallingby and Farsta from Idea to Reality: the New Community Development Process in Stockholm" (1973), he also wrote "New Communities in New York State" (1971) and many other articles on new towns in Sweden and the United States. He died in Bethesda, Maryland, on July 18, 2007.

Scope and Content

The David Pass papers contain correspondence, oral histories, research files, photographs, maps, and plans that document the development and study of new towns in the United States and internationally, particularly Sweden. The collection thoroughly documents Pass's career at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, the Urban Development Corporation in New York, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. Although the inclusive dates span from 1934 to 2001, the bulk of the collection dates from the early 1960s to the early 1980s.

The correspondence in Series 1 consists of communication between David Pass and colleagues during his time in Sweden in the 1960s and with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1970s and 1980s. There is also correspondence related to Pass's efforts to publish his work on new towns in Sweden in the 1960s and correspondence during his time with the New York Urban Development Corporation in the early 1970s.

Series 2 contains oral histories from David Pass's work on new towns in Sweden. Pass interviewed many people involved with the development and financing of new towns, particularly Farsta and Vallingby. The conversations cover the acquisition of land, the planning of the towns, and the construction. The oral histories are numbered according to a scheme created by Pass. This series also includes unedited transcripts. The original binder labels were photocopied prior to being discarded, and the photocopies were placed with the appropriate oral histories. The transcripts are in both English and Swedish.

The research and writing files in Series 3 contain substantial documentation on new towns both in the United States and internationally. Types of documents include reports, conference papers, and publications, some of which are authored by Pass. Other documents consist of clippings and correspondence. Most of the material from the 1960s covers planning and development issues most likely used by Pass for his writing and well as in his day-to-day work at the Department of City Planning in Stockholm, Sweden . The files from the 1970s and 1980s focus more on Pass's work as an analyst for the New York Urban Development Corporation and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The documents contain descriptions of United States new town development in Reston, Virginia; Los Angeles, California; Columbia, Maryland; Lysander, New York; Welfare Island, New York; and Energy New Towns in the West with the Department of Energy. There is significant correspondence with regards to the Lysander and Welfare Island developments in New York in the 1970s. The international new town developments described in the documents include towns in France, London, and Vallingby, Farsta, and Stockholm in Sweden. The conference documents include information on the International New Town Association (1983) and the League of New Community Developers. The research and conference files from the early 1980s reflect Pass's growing interest in new town computer modeling. The files are arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Series 4 contains information about Reston and the Moorings Cluster Association that Pass collected when he lived there from the 1970s to the 1990s. There are multiple publications on the regulations created by the Reston Home Owners Association, which later became the Reston Association. The regulations specifically focus on design guidelines. Also included are meeting agendas for the Reston Association as well the Moorings Cluster Association on Lake Anne where Pass lived.

Series 5 consists of images of new towns in Reston, Virginia; Columbia, Maryland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Paris, France. There are also images of New York City. The subjects include buildings, street scenes, maps, and models. Some of the slides were used in presentations and also contain charts and graphs illustrating population growth and financial projections. There are also some large ariel images of the Stockholm area. The photographs are mostly 8"x10", and the slides are standard size. The slides in box 31 are glass plate and were used with the script "New Communities for New York" in box 30, folder 2. Some of the larger photographs were placed in the oversize series.

Series 6 contains 15 reel-to-reel audiotapes with interviews conducted by Pass during his new town research in Sweden. Series 2 contains the edited and unedited transcripts.

Series 7 consists mostly of maps and plans of Farsta and other towns and cities in Sweden. There is also a large plan for Reston, Virginia, a Spanish Tourism poster, and "Vallingby and Farsta" book cover artwork. Some of the oversize New York new town files and ariel photographs of Sweden are in this series as well.

Arrangement

Arranged into six series:

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center also holds collections on planned communities, transportation, and urban development.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• City planning
• City planning -- New York (State) -- New York
• City planning -- Sweden -- Stockholm
• Correspondence
• Housing
• Housing -- New York (State)
• Housing -- Sweden
• Kungl. Tekniska högskolan
• New York State Urban Development Corporation
• New towns
• New towns -- New York (State)
• New towns -- Sweden -- Stockholm
• Oral histories
• Photographs
• Planned communities
• Planned communities -- New York (State)
• Planned communities -- Stockholm -- Sweden
• Reston (Va.)
• Slides (Photography)
• United States. Department of Housing and Urban Development