It was becoming increasingly apparent too, that planning and civic groups throughout the region, including the New York City Planning Commission, were finding it difficult to obtain high-quality planners and other staff persons knowledgeable in metropolitan affairs. Physical planning was reaching into economic, sociological and psychological phenomena formerly ignored by planners and agencies were finding it next to impossible to recruit appropriately trained professionals. Nor were helpful materials on these issues to be found in the region with but rare exceptions. Aside from the planning context, social and human resources problems were occupying the, attention of an increasing number of public and private groups in the region and here, too, the lack of adequate knowledge and of an adequate cadre of trained persons was ever more apparent. All of these conditions encouraged Regional Plan Association, The Ford Foundation and the Lavanburg Foundation to join in sponsoring an investigation of how the New York Metropolitan Region might obtain greater university interest and capacity for major research in urban affairs, broader planning education and improved professional education for other urban tasks, more metropolitan data and altogether, a more concerted program by universities, research agencies, government units and civic agencies to meet major metropolitan problems.