The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-06
Municipal Planning.

to say what the issue shall be-
| te
Municipal Planning.
In the May number Of Tho Municipal
journal, Of New York, there is an III
structive article on street Improvement
with striking Illustrations of before and
AFTER" The subject Of the sketch Is the
city Of cohoes. N. y. Before this work
was begun tho streets We're about as
bad us could we'll be, II one may judge
from the photographs. The people stood
it as long as they could and finally
secured authority from the State LeGls-
lature for the appointment Of THE Pub
lie Improvement Commission" In 1896,
which provided that two of the commits
sioners should be appointed from the
| political party polling the greatest num-
Der Of votes cast in the last election and
two from the party casting the next
largest number Of votes. The commits
| sion did not get to work until 1906 but
when 1t began it began In earnest, and
| It's work was completed last year. 1t
had the responsibility Of determining
what public improvements should be
made, to cost In the aggregate about
s7OO,o This was a considerable i'm
provement sum for a city of 5000 popu-
lation, but there was much work to do,
as public improvements had been long
neglected The sewerage system CT the
city was inadequate, so that the sanitary
/ conditions had become q menace to public
health. AS to pavcments, there were but
| few, and these were in dllapidated con-
/ dition. Little attention had been given
to public parks, Fairgrounds, public
buildings or the orderly and aesthetic
development of the city. That was the
condition when the commit ssion went to
| work.
We pass over the work OF sewerage
construction and come to speak OF the
manner In which the streets were i'm
proved It was determined, first OF all
that a certain ratio between the width
of the street and the sidewalk SHOULD
be settled upon. which was onc-sixth.
| That Is. the width of the sidewalk should
not be less than one-sixth Of the street.
II the total width OF the street was
| GO feet, the roadway would be from As
to 80 feet wide. On residential streets
the width was reduced to % feet; tho
width of the sidewalk on streets having
a total width OF GO feet was II IL feet
BY this division space of about SIX
feet on each side Of the walk proper
remained for grass and trees.
The advantages of treating streets In
this way. says The Municipal Journal
are: First, the cost of tho pavement Is
less; second, tho extra cost oftmalntain-
ing and cleaning is avoided. 1t is wise
plan. adds our contemporary, for city
to follow tho example Of q, business
corporation, In SO far as 1t involves care
full forethought, before expenditures for
improvements are made,
II Richmond had mapped out such a
plan % years ago and pursued a definite
policy and spent the money where It
was most needed instead of apportioning
it among the several wards, We should
have had one OF the best paved cities
in the United States, and property val
ues would have been increased accord
ingly. IT Is not yet too late to adopt
such a plan, We should have q policy
relating 10 all departments OF the city
government looking far into the future
and we should follow the policy In all
works of Improvement and development.
1t Is discreditable to us ms an intelligent
community that we should 80 on from
year To year In a haphazard happy-go-
lucky sort OF way without any definite
policy, as though a man should set out
to build house without having first
made his plans,
Returning TO the work in Cohoes, the
significant statement Is made That when
the streets were improved. most Of the
property -owners along the lines Of tho
residential streets were careful TO nm
4 prove their lawns at the same time. and
1t is added that The making OF these
lawns had marked influence upon the
whole city, This shows tho force OF ex-
ample, municipalities should always set
the hest example In cleanliness. ornumpn-
: tation and good housekeeping,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Well Done.