The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-12-12
TOWN PLANNING;
WHAT It means
A Civic Awakening Among
Communities.
THE IDEAL COMMUNITY.

Town Planning Means the
and Control Of Community Building
to Insure Social Efficiency-It Means
That the Ideal Town Of Yesterday
Can Be. Built Today.
AS all evils must sooner or later find
their remedy. so our abhorrent meth
DDS of city building are finding theil
remedy in the development Of the
town planning idea. Town planning
means the guidance and control Of
community building and rebuilding
with a view to insuring the highest
degree of human and social efficiency
and the conservation Of all human re.
sources. Communities are built for the
people and not people for communities
The cities and towns should therefore
be laid out and developed so as to
serve the interests of the people.
Parks, Fairgrounds, proper homes,
transportation. water supply. amuse-
ment centers. art galleries. schools.
museums. ETC., are essentials of civil.
lied community life. The town and
city planner must coordinate these es.
sentials and so humanize his plans US
to embrace the highest ideals of pres.
ent community development backed by
a community patriotism that will stand
the test of the highest standard of 50.
cial well being.
The cost of community planning may
be measured in dollars and cents, but
Il more accurate measurement is to be
found in the rate of infant mortality
and the daily deaths and the amount
Of ill health and crime that we mus
suffer and pay for. The we'll plann'
garden cities of England and Germal..
are teaching us the lesson that health,
morals and industrial efficiency are
possible Of control by proper commune
ty planning. Statistics show us that
density of population goes hand in
hand with frequency Of deaths. sick
ness and crime. On every side we
find overwhelming evidence Of the val
ue of proper community planning and
development and the growing desire
for better living conditions among the
people. The diagnosis IL made. the
remedy-town planning-is known and
we shall pay a we'll deserved penalty
II we do not apply it.
There is present in every stratum Of
population an all embracing civic
awakening which affects both men
and women. Discomfort with the pres
ent order Is everywhere pregnant with
great promises for the future. Democ-
racy in its broa,!est Interpretation is
taking the place Of bureaucracy and
plutocracy. while political parties are
coming to represent true public senti-
ment and interest. where partisanship
based upon a spolls system is being
relegated to the Junk heap Of social
inefaciency. The women + taking a
large share Of the social burden that
social ineficiency has created In the
past. and they should be among the
first to realize the importance of sub.
urbanizing, the wage arn and re-
storing to him the right to a proper
home located in fitting surroundings
and related to the community IN a
way that will make his or her pres
ence In the community count for it's
full value. a.-l
Town planning deals with the dis
trtbutiOn and arrangement Of building
land so as to avoid congestion. 1t
deals with the location of shops and
factories 40 as to make them more ac-
cessible and vet un0bjectionable to the
home districts In which the wage earn
ers must live. Community planning
deals with transportation and street
development 10 as to provide the great.
est facility Of distribution Of popula-
tion. accessibility to the Industrial and
social centers and easy access to, fool
markets necessary to insure a prOper
standard Of living ON a moderate In
come. Town planning deals with sew
age systems. water supply. waste dis
pOsal systems. SO as to insure the
greatest protection OF. the health of'the
people. while It concerns itself with
the distribution Of churches. schools.
parks and Fairgrounds. 40 "a to give
every man. woman and child an oppor-
tunity to develop spiritually. intellec-
tually and physically.
The distribution and development Of
civic centers r the last hut not the
least Of the functions of town planning.
and the presence OF absence Of these
centers determines success or failure
Of a plan.
These are large claims. but they are
faithful to the facts. The largescitiex
present an opportunity for reconstr,lc-
stion. for palliative town planning.
while the younger cities and towns
have the open country before them.
little to rebuild and readjust and u
great advantage yer the contested
city sluIns which they have now the
opportunity to condemn to everlasting
sdeaths By their superior living advan-
tages and their free. opportunity for
shaping their future growth to meet
future as welt as present needs.
utOpian city Of Yesterday can ho