Arizona republican., 1913-06-22
The New Science of City Planning


 Among the luuItitIde of sciences which ,.rerA,i sont,aporar>. the Gazette heard t4- .I,sl one city planning, else it would have talI,u into the error stating last night civic is the exclusive attachment of the small western toun.' unknown to the large modern cltz. Nor. would have contounded the civic t,r with the town square"
 The Gazette should have known that the sub j-.t city planning euI~ting the stten- tiau vl experts; that literature on the subject the e>-e center nuluplne and that the cities of San Francisco. Portland Seattle. Dallas. Minneapolis. Chicago. Detroit. Cleveland and Brooklyn are now establishing plannln4 civic centers Philadelphia I.- recently completed one
 The R,puhlicln yesterday received most opppr- tun.ly a letter noted expert city plan ming Mr Walter D. Moody. managing director of tte Chictg, Plan Commission. which is deSirous @ r=tabli4lin4 civic center ln that small weSt-an town
 We recommend to our contemporary paru=I of the f,Io"ius quotation from the letter Alr. Bloody:
 The creation of civic center in city tends to give life tp the spirit unity of d city. With out a common center ot government with d com pI-te system streets radiating thtrefrom all directions and Int-rinbing ali sections a cty i- rlereIl d eIoInei4iton of buildings is not t unit organized whole. The civic center ought t" Impress the beholder with the city's grandeur
 Naturally. such q center should be centrally located and easily accessible to all parts of the city  Tor the needs (" the tiii "I the et> for the cen should really form tine hub the street uuIatory system. It is the Keystone the arch of scientific development.
 A civic center is desirable not only from motives of patriotism and civic pride, but also be- cause such governmental center promotes eff cheney and economy, especially saving the those citizens transactng business with different governmental agencies. municipal county, state or national The haphazard location of public build ings in accordance with the usual custom of Amer ic4n cities s due d any thing q lack of f-f! st. aS grouping public buildings around civic center.
 "Not~ itistandins the fact that the tendency in cities is delay the construction of civic Municipal life is rapidly becoming more and more complex all the time. and cities. like corpora lions, are endetvorng bring about reforms that will save and money and the coordination of public thoroughfares. the improvement of transpor- tation facilities many other such improvements as are bound come. That city which recognizes this fact and purchases property civic center comprehensive plan now before property values in central sections become prohibitive, has taken q step which will put far ahead in the future in the for civic advance.
 The advantage planning q city the prin- ciple creating civic center is great that n" kind plan receives consideration. It is q work outward. and the civic center forms the hub or nucleus the proper development of a city. matter how large small
 We have already shown how favorably situated is the Central school block in respect of that de sired accessibility described by Moody-lying one side upon Central avenue the city's beau tiful and most travelled boulevard, and Van Buren street which is a link highway and into which the traffic Grand avenue pouIs- Thus. unfntentonaIly 'the Central school block been made the most ideal site PhoeniX's civic center