The Harvard Yale City Planning Departments have announced a joint study of southern New England designed to help determine why still other studies find the general New England area lagging behind the rest of the nation.

Reginald R. Isaacs, Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and co-director of the project, said the study is the first such cooperative venture with Yale, but is simply a part of the academic work at the Gradaute School of Design rather than a concentrated study with any state and municipal governments.

Because the scope of the problem is so large, the two Universities are cooperating to complement each other, Isaacs said. While emphasizing it is a "pedagogical exercise," he added that in the past cities have benefited from similar studies.

The Harvard Graduate School of Design last year dealt with northern New England, particularly land use, Isaacs, explained. This year, with Yale assisting, the two groups can better focus on southern New England industry. Since the Yale group's attitude is more attuned with the New York metropolitan area, it can contribute to a broader basis for study, Isaacs said.