Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-28

And out of such study there should
| incidentally arise q more Virile civic
consciousness, a realization of the one
ness Of interest in the improvement in
Los Angeles, a sense of cohesiVeness
rather than of competition between the
different parts of the city, in realiza-
tion that what is done for any particu-
lar section-if it be done IN accordance
with broad and comprehensive
sCheme-is done for all. 1t is not this
street nor that street, nor this ward nor
that ward, but Los Angeles for which
we are to take our stand, that it may
be better planned and more beautiful
1.-THE financial phase of the problem
i is only second in Importance to the
sentimental. l have been surprised to
observe that there has been an idea
abroad that l had set out to make
| plans the execution Of which would
cost a certain sum. Nothing could
| have been further from my purpose.
| In case Of sickness does a physician
undertake to give only a certain num-
Der Of dollars worth of cure? l set
myself no goal in dollars to be eX-
pended. 1 assumed that Los Angeles
was big enough and rich enough, and
brave enough, and had enough conf
dence in itself. to do what was neces-
sary and worth while, and my study
has been only this: What does this
city need how can certain conditions
be best improved, and will the proposed
remedy be worth its cost?
mot all of the changes will be made
at once. Some of them will stretch
over term of many years. and of them
it would be foolish to estimate the pres
ent cost, for before they out values
will change. Others may be executed
in the natural course of development
and will mean a saving to the city
rather than any additional cost. Finally
I do not presume to dictate when the
work shall be done. 1 simply make
plan, submitting the improvements
which | believe advisable and which
would lift Los Angeles into the class
of progressive cities that are develop
ing themselves on modern lines. The
time for carrying out the plans rests
with the business sense and civic pride
of the citizens of Los Angeles.
"a word may be said, however, as to
the profit and loss in executing great
municipal Improvement schemes. 1
know of no city in the United States
which has so much to gain by making
itself civically attractive. In most
municipalities the direct gain to the
citizens, in their personal convenience
and enjoyment, is the only considera-
tion worth counting upon, anything
beyond that being more or less of a
/
metropolis of the country, the indirect
profit through the attraction and re-
tention of outsiders is certain and
enormous. And YOU simply cannot af-
ford to stand still-Or, rather with
your increasing population, to go from
bad to worse as you would, in con-
gestion, in city discomfort and ugli-
ness, and in pauctty of municipal et-
fectiVeness. The travel, for the most
/ ~ l.
proving themselves, would turn away.
For other cities are improving them
selves: st. Paul is preparing to create
parkways and malls and a civic center
on an immensely ambitious plan, after
it has already established beautiful
parks and has connected them by
scenic drives; st. Louis and Denver
are planning civic centers to cost mil
| lions of dollars, and outer systems of
parks and drives reaching miles into
| the country: Columbus is having
worked out for it a scheme of grandiose
proportions; Harrisburg and CleYe-
land are already famous for the
projects that with them are under way
and what has st. Paul, st. Louis,
Columbus Harrisburg or Cleveland to
expect in resulting profit compared to
what Los Angeles would have?
Il shall not argue the matter further.
! 7 desired in introducing my report only
to put three ideas definitely before you,
for the better understanding of the
recommendations. These are. that the
suggestions are restricted to the pres
ent city limits, not through failure to
appreciate the Importance of broader
planning, but because with limited
! time it was necessary to do the most
| important work first; that there has
| been no effort to prescribe cure which
would cost a certain number of dollars;
but to show the city what could best
be done, utilizing as much as possible
that which the city now has, to tie 1t
together into a homogeneous entity.
more convenient more beautiful, more
metropolitan and in line with modern
! ideas of city building; and, finally,
| that to do this, even at some slight
immediate sacrifice, would be album
dantly worth the city's while. With
these thoughts in mind, we may take
up our study"