The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-12
THE PLANNING OF UNDEVEL0PED
 CITY AREAS
EXTENSION OF A CITY'S PLAN
 TO ANNEXED TERRITORIES UTILIZATION OF EXISTING
 ROADS-PROVISIO TO BE MADE FOR PARKS AND SITES

ROADS-PROVISIO TO BE
 MADE FOR PARKS AND SITES
 FOR MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS.
 Nelson P. Lewis. Chief Engineer. Board of Estimate and Apportionment. New York City.
 (E0clusive Service The Survey Press
 Bureau.)
 In all cities the older portions have grown from small beginnings. and the street plan has been the result of chance. Occasionally a city is created upon a site deliberately chosen. as for instance Washington. In such cases an opportunity is offered to create a plan peculiarly adapted to the special development in mind There are a few other instances in this country where the future possibilities appear to have been realized. Indianapolis and De- troit might be mentioned. In New York City, the Commission created in 1907 to prepare a street plan failed entirely to anticipate the future growth. This Commission appeared to believe that the chief traffic would be across the island from the North River to the East River. and therefore. east and west streets were laid out with only 200 feet intervening. while the north and south avenues were placed from seven hundred to nine hundred feet apart. The values of real estate hav- ing become enormous. it is now 1m- practicable to correct mistakes in this original plan within reasonable limits of expenditure.
 A characteristic feature of most American cities is the lack of import definite point of interest. These diaao- nals need not be long. or straight for their entire distance, but different sect ions of them should be free from de- fiections. This is the charm of Wash ington and of Paris. One may follow the numerous diagonal streets in either of these capitals and be quite sure of reaching some point of interest. While it is often impossible to correct mistakes of planning within practicable limits of expense. there are few cities where conditions cannot be improved.
 In many American cities additions have been made by extension of the city limits or by consolidation with other cities. Frequently these ad- .ditions have been exploited by the sub urban developer; They are often SC limited in aria that it is difficult to do anything but extend the city plan over them. It occasionally happens that an extension of the city limits will include a number of centres of population. and that these are dis connected anu COulQ U0 dDSOTOGO III d larger city plan without serious detri- ment. Areas of this kind are almost invariably traversed by highways which follow natural lines of traffic. They should be made the controlling features of the city plan. They are generally of the ordinary country road width. This will be totally inadequate but they are usually allowed to re- main until they have been so built up as to make a widening expensive.
 What then. is the logical method of procedure? The first thing is to de- ferent parts of the new territory It will then be possible to proceed with mapping in widely separated sections with positive knowledge of the re- lation of the streets lines in one section to those in another. The next thing which will demand attention is the system of existing roads. There was. and is, a good reason for these. These roads should form the skeleton of our future street system. Often it will be all cases to widen them. In the writer's judgment they should be not less than one hundred feet in width, and in some instances even wider. In the case of these latter if the old road has good shade trees. the original high way can probably be preserved for pleasure driving, while another section can be reserved for railroad tracks. and, perhaps. still another for auto mobiles
 These old roads may have been near 1y paralled or approximately radial. while the cross connections may have been infrequent or improved. They must therefore be carefully considered. They should be straight between the paralled or radial highways wherever possible.
 When these controlling streets have been definitely determined. we need not worry about filling in the spaces between. Whether it would be ad- vantageous to have the intervening spaces treated in a uniform manner. graphy suggests 1t. serpentine sys- tenn of streets may be laid out: there. a generous depth of lots. with space for gardens may be provided: here, again, we may find a group of narrow CT streets compactly built up with secluded courts and small houses front ing upon little plot of grass.
 No reference has yet been made to a system of parks and playgrounds. The policy of most of our cities. has been to defer the selection of park sites until the necessity for parks has adoption of a street plan has convert ed acreage property into city lots with a great increase in value. If there Is particular bit of woodland an ele- VdC1On W1tn a. COmn1a 1anQlng OUTLOOK, or even piece of 1ow-1ying land traversed by stream. which have not yet been cut up into building lots, they can be most advantageously set aside as furture parks. These reservations should be scattered so that there will be some open space within walking distance of every resident. These parks should be connected by adequate roadways, not necessarily straight or even of uniform width. but contracted where the topography would involve expensive construction and again ex- banded. In territory such as we have been considering it may be useless to speak of the brouping of public buildings for mportantmunicipal centres have already been established. There are, however. minor public buildings. such as schools. libraries. public baths and comfort stations. police stations and fire houses, and it would be most de- sirab1e to set aside here and there what might be termed municipal blocks," upon these buildings could be grouped in a very affective manner The writer knows of no instance of the formulation and execution of a policy such as has been outlined. but it appears to be so remarkable and logical that it is matter or surprise that the problem of making city plan has never been undertaken in this summer.
 CUSTOMS RECEIPTS
 MILLIONS LESS UNDER