The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-04-30

ST MODEL CITY
treats the community as unit. with
rights superior to those of any OF it's
individual members.
| One Is a city of unrelated and, for
the most part uncontrolled private
property rights: the other is a com
munity intelligently planned and har.
moniously adjusted. with the en-
| phasis always on the rights of the
community rather than on the rights
OF the individual property owner.
Letchworth Ia one Of the garden
cities OF England which will ruralize
make over-the city 1t Is attached
TO eventually. thus changing the en-.
tire public life. Letchworth is "a
miles from London. Its entire area
was planned by expert architects and
lard artists before a spade touched
the $500 acres OF land It contains.
All Of this has carefully been laid
out in accordance with the prepared
plans As a consequence the town
looks like a dream-town--not a night.
mare city OF smoke. SCOT slums and
dreadful noises The railway station
opens into a great hower-dotted plaza.
the town square and city hall in the
distance. Shops. hotels. churches
and clubs are located near the city
center on streets planned for the pur-
pose. Out from the town square
broad roadways radiate. each with
vista OF the public buildings.
All factories are segregated in one
section close to the railway racks
They are distant from the residential
area and are shut off from the rest Of
the town by the contour OF the
ground They are built away FROM
the direction Of prevailing winds, so
that dust and smoke will be carried
away from the city, while gas and
electricity are furnished at such a
low cost as to almost dispense with
coal as fuel. II is the first real Spot.
less Town In existence
The roadways of Letchworth there
are no streets) are comfortable, tree
lined and Of the greatest variety.
Open spaces greet one at intervals.
These do not show themselves as ar
tifcial after-thoughts, but as perfect.
ly natural places OF rest, recreation
and play
They are not designed for traffic;
they are plsihed rather for quiet, re.
tired living There is generous pro-
vision for play. There is a golf course
of 81 acres and half a dozen greens,
suggestive OF the village green's OF
old There are tennis courts, cricket
fields and commodous sites for school
houses and recreation fields. There
is an open air swimming pool. while
crchestras. choral societies and dra-
matte and debating societies have
been formed.
Surrounding the town are $500
acres of land owned by the corpora.
ton 10 be rented for truck gardens,
poultry and fruit farms and agricul-
tural purposes This. as the builders
say is "a lung around the town. 1t
will serve TO keep down the cost OF
living: it will offer small farms 10
those who desire them. This is far
the only conscious attempt by any
community to coordinate rural life
and agriculture with the city.
In Letchworth. workingmen's cot
tages, wonderfully artistic, rent at
from $4.64 to $40 month. Each
cottage has a garden and Is supplied
with frst-class plumbing and other
modern conveniences.
And here in America we have our
nrst model town already begun II
is Forest Hills, Long Island suburb
which some day will ruralize New
York. the grim stone and iron fort
ress that imprisons four million souls
on Manhattan Island just as Letch
worth will remake old bleak London
town.
Forest Mills was started three
years ago BY the Russell Sage Foun.
dation to show what could be done In
the way OF providing an ideal living
place for middle-class people II is
located on the Pennsylvania railroad
some 10 or ~ miles from New York.
The building Of this city was start.
ed only after a comprehensive plan
had been worked out by experts. and
this has been strictly adhered TO and
the result Is beginning 10 show what
city built TO live in really becomes.
II is beginning TO show us how we
have not even begun to meet the
problem OF the city at all by our
squandering OF immense sums OF
money on monumental boulevards,
public fountains and impossible
III IL instead showing us how we
must make over the heart of Our
cities to conform with these new.
modern facts We have got TO begin TO
work from the outside of our cities to-