It is hereby found and declared there exists in the City, premises used, designed, or intended for human habitation which are, or may become in the near future, substandard with respect to structure, equipment or maintenance, and further that such conditions together with inadequate provisions for light and air, insufficient protection against fire hazards, lack of proper heating, unsanitary conditions and overcrowding constitute a menace to the health, safety, morals, welfare and reasonable comfort of its citizens. It is further found and declared that the existence of such conditions, factors, or characteristics has created and will continue to create, slum and blighted areas requiring large scale clearance, and further that in the absence of corrective measures, such areas will experience a deterioration of social values, a curtailment of investment and tax revenues, and an impairment of economic values. It is further found and declared that the establishment and maintenance of minimum housing standards are essential to the prevention of blight and decay and the safeguarding of public health, safety, morals and welfare.
(Prior Code, Art. 10A, § 10-1)