New-York tribune., 1902-02-10
SAY CITY LACKS UNITY.
EXPERT ADVICE ON ADDING TO ITS
BEAUTY SUGGESTED.
IMPROVEMENTS. IT IS HOPED. WILL Be
PART OF A WELL MATURED PLAN.


Gently suggested 20 Mayor Low that the Munich
pal Art Commission should be asked its opinion
as to the advisability OF employing a commits
sion of experts. done recently by Con-
gress for the city of Washington, TO make a
study OF the subject of beautifying the city, un-
der the direction of the Art Commission, in a
manner worthy of the city and Of the opportuni-
ties which it still offers The aim Of the fedora
tion is that in this way any improvements Of
this character which may be undertaken here
after shall be part of complete and well
matured plan for future improvement and not
purely OF a temporary and local character.
Andrew H. Green, in a talk with Tribune
reporter yesterday the harmonious develop
ment of the city and suburbs the lines of
Baron Haussmann, characterized the laying out
of this city in boroughs as a gross mistake, and
the emphasizing of II in the charter amended
last winter an additional mistake He
thought there should be a typographical bureau
which should have the planning OF the city on
the unit basis for harmonious whole, avoiding
the spasmodic erection Of structures which,
when the whole plan came to be considered.
would be I'll placed and would have to be AL
tered
THE laying out and the planning OF city"
Mr.. Green continued. requires either unit OF
ownership of all the land engaged in the plan or
some supervising authority that gives the power
10 plan and extend the city over private prop
erty. To illustrate. take a Western city, a city
proposed in the West. One man owns ten thou
sand acres of land and he can lay out the city
on q plan that pleases him. but If there are a
dozen owners the city must be laid out on n
plan that would suit and not another. the
legislature must authorize the laying out OF that
area on a plan to the ultimate convenience of
the public, and perhaps overruling the wishes
of some property owners The ordinary.
thinking would urge the laying out OF the
streets so that he could get the most out of his
property. regardless of the ultimate public an
terest In laying out the city the tendency is TO
devise plan upon too narrow a scale. The
streets should be laid out wider and subject 10
subsequent Improvement, should IL become nee
essary, either by strips OF turf by parking,
and thus avoid the immense expense to be
borne by subsequent widening OF the streets
The plans should be devised as far as IS possi-
bic TO human foresight The suburbs OF the city
Will take somewhat more of a rural charac-
ter. and In the plans there should be recognized
the necessity OF more space around the suburban
dwellings.
''Thc plan OF the city OF New York from about
Houston-st. TO One-hundred- and -ffty-ffth-st
was laid out under commission appointed in
f1S07, consisting of who did not live in the
city. They employed surveyor, who adopted
"a very simple plan-laying out cross streets at
substantially equal distances, and fewer and too
limited avenues. One would have supposed 1t
would have been apparent that If the city were
70 grow, the island being narrow 1t must grow
toward the north. as 1t could not grow into the
river on either side. and that the great mass OF
fhe travel must be lengthwse Of the city in
stead of crosswse. But human foresight is not
always sufficient to provide for the exigencies
sof the future. To-day you will find the
nues OF travel up and down are so crowded that
it is very inconvenient in most Of them TO make
iprogress. Take the Grand Central Station.
which has blocked up Of the most important
avenues. Fourth-ave is practically cut off, and
1T is very difficult 10 see how this is TO be
sremedied.
The planning Of city should depend much
Ion the method OF its administration. II It is 10
be carelessly and slovenly administered one plan
would scarcely be worse than another but the
danger is that the avenues Of travel will be laid
out on too limited a scale rather than too large
a scale know OF nothing laid out In New
York in which foresight enough has been shown
TO provide for ten years growth of the city. The
suburban parts should be laid out on basis
that provides each individual having house
with more area for his own enjoyment and
abundant parks and Fairgrounds laid out upon
"A plan, and not on haphazard system, which
-characterizes some Of the work that has been
done of late years in the upper parts OF the city.
The administrators OF the city government
should call upon the best professional advice.
SHOULD HAVE TWENTY-FIVE BRIDGES.
''The bridges now building are only begin
ming, and, judging from the number Of bridges
over the Thames and the Seine, should have
twenty-five bridges as compared with London
and thrty-two compared with Paris If they
are to be placed at similar distances apart. The
necessity for bridging the North River is of vast
consequence to the city to facilitate travel FROM
the whole continent here. and 10 avoid the fogs
mist ice and winds that obstruct ferry naviga-
tion.
THE great thing 20 insist upon in regard to
the suburbs is that the city should be laid out
upon a unit plan, and by the most intelligent
men TO be found anywhere. In that plan should
be shown the best judgment that men OF fore
sight can exercise in arranging for the develop
rnent of the suburban regions You do not want
a suburban region which by natural topography
IS adapted for residences laid out as IL 1t were
TO be used for commercial and financial purposes
in the centre OF the city. The ornamentation Of
the city should also be considered and provision
should be made fer small squares and children's
Fairgrounds.
YOU try to go downtown from Chambers-st. or
the Postoffice TO Wall-st., you can hardly get
along because in the street, originally narrow,
subsequent administrations have permitted peo-
pie TO put signs which fill a fourth Of the side
walk. At certain hours the sidewalks Of Fifth
ave- from Forty-second-st. down, crowded
so that I have often had to go out into the
rarriageway in order to get along. That is be-
cause people have been permitted TO build
stoops, thus occupying quarter of the side
walk space.
''I am very glad TO observe growing demand
that the city shall be so planned as to corGpre-
hend not only adequate space for travel and
transit, but that the aesthetic sentiment shall
have full opportunity for development The
city is not only to be made convenient for homes
and for business operations, but Enthusiastically
known for its sdornment"
UNITY IMPOSSIBLE AT OUTSET.
Frederick S. Lamb said: I'm discussing the
plan OF the city constantly met with the
question Why not a comprehensive plan
used at the start? II we go back some hundred
rZA