The evening world., 1909-03-20
OvERCROWD|NC
STARTS EARLY
RUSH TO SUBURBS
Press of Business Forces Popu.
lation Density in Old City
to Limit.

Spring is starting the usua movement
OF Manhattanites 10 suburban homes.
More net-dwellers every year get the
yearning for house in the quiet, out
lying districts, with ass and trees
around it pnd plenty Of room inside,
But Manhattan could lose the greater
part OF its residential population and
still see its land rise steadily to higher
vaduea This was shown again during
the past week by purchases in old home
districts.
Business tenants can pay more than
heme-makers," said prominent
broker. land the sooner Manhattan
passes into a solid business occupancy.
the quicker will be the rise In It's
realty values"
Business Drives Out Homes,
Manhattan has reached the grea test
! posslD e population density in many sec.
tons. II p. Julation alone made land
values. such sections would have
reached their limit OF realty wealth. But
the change Of utility from residential
to business uses starts rise from an
entirely new basis, After that cheaper
forms Of business are pressed out by
higher forms. as a rule, and the higher
forms mean still greater land values
because they produce larger incomes,
thus enabling the tenants 10 pay larger
rentals.
Realty students have been interested
! In movements around the new railroad
terminal sites In the central part OF
Manhattan because they are the fore
runners OF transformation which
seems sure to spread over most OF the
| island In the course OF time. The pass
Ing of old residential properties to bus
mess is accompanied by new advance
! in values which shows even hathouse
owners In more northerly districts that
they have nothing TO fear from the SUI
| burban outflow because their properties
will have a larger value for business
when useless Tor homes
Near Limit of Density.
The steady spread of business every
year is reducing the area available for
homes People must move away or live
in a business hive,
Manhattan has 1000 acres for popu-
latlon uses, but fully half Of It Is under
business occupation. Statisticians give
| Manhattan an average of 200 people to
| the acre because 1t has 100000 popu-
| lation, but its home districts have more
than 400 to the acre and at least third
! OF them average more than ~ to the
acre This shows that people stay
crowded In Manhattan until they are
actually driven out by the advance OF
| business.
Few cities have such a large average
population as 200 to the acre even In
their most crowded districts. Such den.
sity Is considered close to the limit OF
health and comfort everywhere except
In New York. Manhattan has twenty :.
I'VE blocks with an average density OF
900 persons to the acre. and forty with
over 800 to the acre. On thlrty-seven
blocks, covering less than 2l0 acres, live
nearly 10000 people.
| Crowds Don't Make Values.
That such dense population does no!
make high real estate values Is ac-
cepted generally by experts. In fact,
beyond q reasonable density, II Is re-
garded as checking the rise Of values
because II represents the Inflow OF a
poorer tenantry. And II the dense
masses could spread over cheaper out
lying land. they would give that land
higher value. at the same time allow
Ing business with Its high rentals to
flow easily into their old sites.
While Manhattan has reached a pop.
ulatlon density Of 200, with an average
over 400 in It's home districts, Brooklyn
averages 40; the Bronx, 20; Queens, g.
Richmond. s. With rapid transit ia
make thdse outlying sections as acces.
slble as Is Manhattan. the values OF the
outlying lands theoretically, would &c
up with the advance in population
density. until they crossed the 200 aver.
age for the acre.
According to estimates based on past
increase OF population, both Brooklyn
and the Bronx will reach that con.
dition by 1850. while the density In
Queens will be only 100, In other words
residential land values In Brooklyn and
the Bronx could be expected reason.
ably to advance, on the average. until
1850, while Queens values would seem
to have a much longer period Of en-.
hancement before the land could reach
its limit OF residential utility