RICHARD
BENDER
plumber to repair a leaky fixture with that of having a telephone
repaired to understand the force of the change I'm outlining. Finally,
consider the implications to the financing of a house. All the services
and appliances which hook up to houses - pipes, valves, dishwashers,
water heaters - have different life expectancies. Owner expectations
and engineering innovations make some obsolete in a few years, while
others may exceed the life of the structure. Yet all are now part of
first cost - part of the mortgage, and the interest on their cost con–
tinues to be paid long after they are replaced.
The telephone analogy for a life service industry implies a new
interface between public and private. Imagine a house conceived along
these lines. Water, electricity, communication, heating and cooling and
the basic structure of the house as well, will be rented from the utility.
Basic ownership cost will be negligible, and services and appliances be–
come rentable options. Dishwashers, hot water heaters, and the pipes,
lines and ducts which service them will be part of a single system.
They will be part of the capital expense of that company. Ideally, the
occupant of such a house will rent up-to-date, well maintained serv–
ice, located according to his needs; for repairs, replacements and up–
grading of equipment are functions of one organization. The Shelter
Industry will make improvements to maximize the entire system's effi–
ciency - a dishwasher that uses less water will have value in his situa–
tion, as will a water heater with higher fuel efficiency and lower heat
losses. Household appliances will be standardized, as they become part
of a larger system: like the telephone, they will become familiar enough
to be invisible. And what is saved by planning will be reallocated to
make our lives richer.
There is great potential in this scenario. It solves many present
problems by applying broad controls to a range of fragmented func–
tions. It is powerful and logical, but there are other alternatives. Let
us look at a second scenario.
We are in the midst of cultural changes which echo a growing
discontent with present institutions, and a movement away from them.
"... Remotely done power and glory - as via government, big busi–
ness, formal education, church - has succeeded to the point where
gross defects obscure' actual gains. In response to this dilemma and
to these gains a realm of intimate personal power is developing - power
of the individual to conduct his own education, find his own inspira–
tion, shape his own environment ..."
(Whole Earth Catalogue,
Intro–
duction) .
This kind of cultural change will, I think, be reflected inevitably
