New-York tribune., 1910-10-31
TOWN PLANNING
A Unique Exhibition-GIimpses
of the Worlds Famous Streets.

making a bad job Of it. The arcbitsc,
and the landscape gardener as well as tba
sanitary engineer are now Ordering
new development Of urban civilization
Their potential importance is shown bv
the town planning act. by the compra-
hensive exhibition or plans. drawing,
and models now open at the Royal Acas-
emy and by the international conference.
at the GuildhaIl. attended by fannou,
architects Of many countries, among
them Mr.. Daniel H. Burnham. who
ton and San Francisco; DIR. Stubben.
who has reduced town extensions to A
fine art In Germany; VI. Louis BONNER
and VI. Eugene. Henard. who have i'm
proved civic taste in France. and Mr..
Raymond Cnwin and other designers.
who have been experimenting with gar
den suburbs In England.
a weeks discussion by experts is no.
needed for the enforcement Of the truth
that the best architects and Iandscap.
artists should be the advisers OF the
Local Government Board here and OF
municipal authorities in every progress
sive country. The duIIest observer viii
he Convinced Of it after rapid journey
around the sixteen galleries Of the
Academy
For perfection Of craftsmanship
among the thousand designs in the
Academy Mr. BUrnham's plans for a
gIorified Chicago, with a transhguring
view at night of the harDOr and net
work Of IagoOns. are not eXceIIed in the
exhibition. These designs, with large
exhibit from the Society OF Architects
in Washington. are pre-eminentIy the art
works of a unique show and are appro-
priately hung in the largest gallery.
The drawings of the New York I'm
provensnt Commission, in the adjoining
gallery. are more prOsaic. and the DIM
sted exhibits of the green girdIe OF
greater Boston are less pTeteutiOus. but
there is sufficient evidence in the plans
Philadelphia. ST. Louis. Brooklyn and
other American cities that there ara
works in progress and Uuder Contempla-
tiou beyond the Atlantic which are not
paraIIeled IN Great Britaip-
1t is in the seven German galleries.
however. that the most practical prob
lems of town planning are illustrated by
maps, drawings and ingenious models.
Scores Of towns in that vast industrial
empire have doubled and trebled IN pop
;IIs4tion during the last forty years. The
backlands around them have been
opened and the congestion of the over
crO aided centres has been relieved by
the construction Of new suburbs, and
this work has been done scientifically
and with genuine artistry
In Germany there have been national
congresses on the housing of the work
nC classes: ministers of the leading
states and administrative officials Of i'm
1ortant towns have interested them
selves in the discussions; great estates
owned by municipalities have been con-
-erted into suburban sites; building
operations on a large scale have been
with funds advanced by the
insurance boards: wOrkingmen's home
associations have been organized BY
societies. and there have
been systematic efforts for carrying out
his great social reform with the help OF
he best expert talent available
The results Of this scientific campaign
ire shown at the Academy in exhibits OF
marked diversity representing nearly all
he prominen capitals and trading cen
res. Here are the five competitive prize
designs for the Improvements Of greater
Berlin: Dr. Stubben's extensions OF
oosen. Chemnitz and other towns; Fro
essor Rienberschmid's model Of tbs
garden suburb of HeIIerau. near Drss-
len: comprehensive exhibits Of street
md park improvements in Cologne,
,Iunich, Crcfeld. Barmen and other
titles; groups of photogra phs illustrat-
ng municipal housing in Ulm and other
,opulOus towns. and maps. designs.
models and drawings from Essen. Dtis-
eIdorf. Stuttgart. Frankfort. Nureri-
,erg and many other cities.
These exhibits convey an adequate I'M
,ression of the municipal and phiIau-
hrOpic activities which are now in Oper-
.tion for the solution Of the housing
question; and the statistical studies OF
treet traffic. growth OF population, use
f Fairgrounds. percentages OF rent TO
axed income and other matters are
roofs of the thOrOughness with which
IL the factors of a complex problem ara
Considered.
From France where Artistic town
iIanning has been studied for many
and where the stationary
population deprives the housing question
f the element Of urgency. there is a
mall but interesting exhibit. Paris -
hOwn in various stages of development
rom 12SJ to the present time. with the
lew programme of improvements sane
ioned last spring BY means of prints
nd admirably lucid designs the break
ng down of successive rings of fOrtit-
ations and the opening of the COngested
entire of population are illustrated.
Nancy is also seen at different stages
f progress. and Lyons. Lille. HavTe and
ther cities are adequately represented
There are also abstruse astronomical
tudfes on the Incidence of sunlight and .
Is relation to the direction of streets.
nth observations from three European
nd five American cities tending to
rove that thOrOugbfares running north
nj south are most healthy and those
unning east and west least healthy.