Ritter was appointed as Perth's first City Planner in 1965, a position from which he was later controversially dismissed. An official enquiry was launched into the dismissal. Ritter spent some time in prison in the 1980s, an experience which is reflected in his later works. He wrote a number of books on a system of education he called 'educreation'. These include The Free Family : A Creative Experiment in Self-Regulation for Children (with Jean Ritter, q.v., 1959), Educreation : Education for Creation, Growth and Change (1966) and The Ten Taboos : The Beginnings of a Philosophy (1980). He also wrote numerous books on city planning and architecture, including Planning for Man and Motor (1964), City Planning Perth, 1965-1967 (1968) and Concrete Fit for People : A Practical Introduction to a Bio-Functional Eco-Architecture for the Third Millennium A.D. (1980). Ritter also provided text for the book by artist Edward Pagram, Faces of Perth (1967).
