The Washington herald., 1913-05-11
City Planning Ideals and
Home NeighbOrh00ds

Exclusive Service The Survey Press Buresu.)
City planning in almost every phase or
its wide modern meaning has taken root
in the public conscience. Yet We have
thus far done very little, communities
or as municipalities, to properly create,
safeguard and guide the growth of home
neighborhoods.
Much has been written about the prop
er regulation and construction of streets
for residence property; countless laws
have been passed relating to plumbing.
the thickness of walls. freproofing and
the character of building materials: land
scape engineers have devoted their eff
forts to the creation of beautiful drives
and magnificent parks for residence sec
tons: architects and artists have pro-
duced beautiful individual homes. But
the subdividing of land for city purposes
in practically all American cities is gen
orally left to chance and private and
selfish interests. City authorities have.
to some extent, made certain general
requirements as to a reasonable con-
tinuity and regularity of streets; but
little progress has been made toward
good planning of residential subdivisions.
1t is easy enough for a real estate
man to name his addition. file his plat,
stake his lots and advertise them for
sale to those who may wish to buy:
but il is more difficult matter to plan.
not merely for today, but for twenty
five years, the class of houses. their
architectural design, distance from the
street, character of their outbui1dings,
location of telephone poles location of
churches and schools, provision of play
grounds. open centers for flowers and
shrubbery. conceal ment of street-car
lines in parkway and erection of suitable
shelters along the route. decoration of
the streets with ornamental lights, plac-
ing of neighborhOod stores in unobjec-
tionable points selection of the best type
of street improvements for residence
streets. and the creation of civic and
local improvement associations that will
be sufficiently alert to protect every re-
striction and keep alive the interest and
enthusia SIN that exists in the addition
when new.
A few comparatively small. good resi-
dence neighborhoods have been provided
in every city by the ordinary real estate
development. The period over which the
safeguards in these areas extend is
generally of mere nominal duration in
proportion to the life of the city. and
covers only small section. City control
in residence neighborhoods practically
ends with the boundary lines of the
street and the boulevard and today
with only occasional exception. the
individual owner in our residence
neighborhoods does whatever he pleases
upon the property which he owns with
out regard to the interest of his neighbor-
hood or his community. The welfare of
all is disregarded. No vandal ever
wrought more havoc than the residence
section Of many American cities today
accept with complacency.
Often the majority of the population
of No MI, a
the city. may be found living in the most
unhealthy sections of the town. and NAV
be breathing the most impure air. and
unconsciously the health and Joy Of liv-
ing may he daily and unnecessarily
sacrificed to presumed commercial needs.
Little thought has been given to the
creation Of pleasant. healthy residence
neighborhoods. and the safeguarding of
these neighborhoods by the community
or the city itself. in accordance with a
broad. general plan as applied to the
layout Of the whole city. The factory.
the railroad. the business. house. first
command the location most desirable for |
their particular uses. Even the wealthiest
men Of the city simply get ground that |
is left for the home and the family.
The remarkable fact is that nearly |
every one has come to feel that the sue
cessive rise and decline of residence
netghbOrhOOQS IN our c1CeS IS unaVOl0-
able: that the very location of residence
sections must be made secondary to
every other interest of the city. In the |
lack of proper control of the laying out
of residence sections, our country sus-
tains financial loss of millions Of dol |
lars annually to the home owners by
the decline and shifting of residence
neighborhoods. Today the home owner
is generally helpless to prevent the cree /!
ton of an undertaking establishment. or
laundry at his side, an unsightly rear
of a fat at the corner Of his block, the
erection of a tall warehouse protruding
to the very street line beyond him, cut
ting of all air and sunshine from his
family and children. Today houses may
be built to the line of the very hot.
noisy, dusty street, and on lots no wider
than the houses themselves.
Rigid municipal control should be en-
ployed in the exclusion of undesirable |
commercial uses of land within the terri |
tory set aside for residence purposes.
We should not chance the surrounding