The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-15
MORE BEAUTIFUL BARRE
UNDER CONSIDERATION
ference on City Planning Makes
Report to Board of
Trade

City Engineer George A. Reed, wit
attended the fourth national conference
on city planning, held in Boston May 27
% and 20, has made report to the di
rectors of the Barre Board of Trade al
the representative of that orgsnizst ton
He says:
TO the Directors of the Barre Board o.
Trade:
Gentlemen:
1t may be hard to give much of al
idea of what took place at three days
conference in what space ! shall use
but | will endeavor to summarize and
give an outline of the topics. | might
group the work of the conference under
the following heads: !. Growth Of
/ City Planning 2. Scope of City Plan.
ming. 8. Paying the Bills. A. Public
and Private Street Systems. 5. Blight
ed Districts. 6. German Systems. Z.
Legislation.
/ /. Growth of City Planning From
papers touching on this topic was pointed
out that while city planning has always
been done, too frequently there has been
no general scheme to work on, but GER
| tain city officials would start scheme
of development, which before being car
ried out would be so changed as to lose
all resemblance to the original plan;
or certain promoters or real estate own
ers would lay out district which in
itself would be all right, but would not
be in accord with general plan for the
whole city or with it's surroundings
or different parts of the city plan would
go on at different times so that not the
best working arrangements might be
made to care for disposal of sewage, de.
livery OF water, accommodation OF traf-
fic and comfort of the public.
The attempts of city planning as 81
science has been spasmodic in meas
ure. Groups of citizens or societies like
this Board of Trade have started agita
tons which have resulted in commissions
which would make Investigations and re-
ports, which would do more or less good
but oftentimes not followed up. The
spasms have been more and more fire.
quent, until to-day Pennsylvania and
New Jersey recognize city planning sci
ence by general laws and many cities
all over the country have ETY. planning
commissions.
g. Scope of City Planning. This |
brings us to ask, What is city planning |
and what can il do and what will be the |
work of these commissions ?" First and
most important of all is systematic |
layout and design of streets, so as to
best serve the local and through traffic, |
so as to best accommodate the business |
OF each district, so as to best relieve
congested conditions both as to travel
and to housing, so as TO best water,
sewer and light the city, and so as to
best form certain pleasure drives and
boulevards.
Next would come the design of water,
sewer and light systems on the streets
as laid out. Next in area to the street
system should be the park System, which
should be planned from the beginning
and much favorable comment was made |
upon the wisdom of the early Boston off,
eials in obtaining a beautiful park sys-
TEN while land was cheap. The correct
location aad design of civic centers. like
courts and administration build
ings, should also be part of the work
under the control of the city planning
as well as certain regulations as
TO tenements and transit companies.
g. Paying the Bills. A whole session
was devoted to this important part OF
the subject, which was presided over By
Hon. lawson Purdy, president of the
board OF taxation and assessments of II
New York City. A paper was read by
Nelson F. Lewis, the chief engineer of
that board, in which he described the
methods used by New York City, as well /
as his own ideas of the subject. The
method used in New York and the meth II
nj vphtrh aoauad ~ ,,,itl
favor in the subsequent discussion may
be summed up as follows: !. That the
cost of improvements that benefit sim
gle community like street improvements,
parks, etc, should be borne entirely by /
assessment, not necessarily by the abut-
ting property, less per cent. to prop ].
arty within certain zone, and stiil .
ess per cent. to other property more dis
-ant but yet benefited to certain ex-
tent 2. That improvements that are
of no benefit to the city as a whole
should not be borne by direct taxation.
}. That definite policy should be es.
.ablished and when once started should |
De rigidly adhered TO. 4. That the board |
making the assessments should be a
mall board of capable men holding office
or long term of years and not all
'leeted at the same time. Mr.. Lewis
poke of the method often employed of
making deferred assessments, that is,
making assessments on property and de-
erring the payment until such time az
he property gets the full benefit.
The method of collection of assess
nents in New York APPEALED to me some
What. There they make an assessment
N property and allow it to run If the
iwner chooses for three years bearing
even per cent, interest, after which the
len is sold, not the property, as we
would here, to the bidder who would
barge the owner the lowest rate of in.
crest. Mr., Gallivan, one of the street
of Boston, also read a
aper in which he condemned the law
fhich obliges the city of Boston to pay
alf the cost of improvements which ben
fit private property many times the cost
+ improvement. He described the law
flowing excess condemnation, that is,
the city takes land for street or for
Their purposes it may take much more Z
han is needed for the Improvement and :
hen when the improvement is completed =