The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-10
WASHINGTON'S ALLEY sLUMS
By JOHN IIDLER
Field Secretary, National Housing "A saoci. ,,o,

t1onal Civic federation held Iarea
public meeting, at which Secretarv 81
commerce Redheld and the field secre-
tary of the National Housing associa-
ton, spoke
"o weeks later the committee of so out
nieu plan OF campaign. 1t was pro-
posed to ask Congress for an amendment
10 the law for the conversion of aIlevs
INTO minor streets designed to meet the
epurt ruiihg winch had put the spoke in
the wheel Of the present law. IL waa
laither proposed that the request 10 Con
breSs be broadened, that Congress h.
asheu 70 finance commission created t,
study the whole alley question and 10
make recommendations for converting m.
a''ess INTO a system of minor streets with
III Il definite number of years Sucb =
commission would add to the valauble IN
formation gathered by organfzationss like
the Presidents homes commission defintt.
oata ON the number, length, width. AZ
teetion, etc. OF the alleys and plan .
street system winch would make tha
els"test possible use OF these existing
passaseA. This would not only solve th.,
alley problem but would give Washine-
ton what II ana every otner city needs.
2 system of MINOR streets affording sites
for inexpensive small houses.
ne committee adopted tnis programme
anu at a fecond meeting the chairman,
Nliilaia II. Baldwin, appointed commits
lee TO take II up with Congress- AS a
result bills designed TO solve the alley
problem have been introduced in both
houses.
MI this is encouraging as showing thai
the present agitation has stirred Washing
Ton population from top to bottom Bur
II csuTies with it the old danger that
some among the agitators wearied by
their efforts. may persuade themselves
tias having started the movement they
can now safely leave IL to take care of
ltsef, may fail to realize the great op-
portunity now before them and be satis-
ned with half way measures
Washington has long enjoyed the repu-
tation of being the best planned city in
America, the one large city in the world
winch from tie day OF its foundation has
been built more or less consistently along
the lines of a carefully thought out plan.
Only recently has it been realized that
from the beginning this plan has been
Incomplete. While 1t provided for great
public buildings and for dwellings of tbs
wealthy and the well to do il not only
failed to provide homes for wage-earners,
btu actually offered temptations to house
these wage-earnars in an unwholesoms
manner. The magnificent, wide avenues
designed by Major LInfant bordered
along a great part of their distance by
very dep lots, led inevitably to the con-
structed of winding, branching alleys
and the erection of hidden houses which
had no place in the original plan.
Modern city planning lays the emphasis
less on public buildings and boulevards
and more providing sites for homes So
the original plan of Washington must be
supplemented by modern plan providing
d system of minor streets to let the whole
some light of publicity into the hidden
Sums of Washington and to provide eco
nonitc use for the backs of the overdeep
lots that line the avenues. They Will do
away with the present temptation TO keep
the old shacks standing to build houses
fronting on the avenues but extending So
far back that their middle rooms are dark
and airless. Half way measures at this
time may wipe out the alley slums of tho
capital only to give in place of them =
far more difficult problem, the deep, un-
lighted and unventilated multiple dwell
ing.