The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-02
ny FRANK IxOEsTER.

ZION oI tbe city, mus leaving this long
established concern in tho section no:
much freque nted by buyers This fact
Is shown by the companys statement,
saying that the unprecedented shifting
Of trade centres in New York has caused
a great loss 20 many interests. In the
case of the II. u. Clafiin Company IL.
uptown movement OF business has serl.
ously curtailed our wholesale profits
and has compelled us to rely mainly on
the profits from financing retail stores
throughout the country. Their rapidly
extending business has occasioned large
capital requirements which We have
not been able to meet
one OF the largest failures in the Nor
camille history could have been avoided,
directly or indirectly by the proper city
planning.
The need OF proper zone systems 10
regulate the location of tho various in
dustries and commercial organizations
Is not generally underst God. but those
who have made u study Of modern city
planning agree that with modern condi-
tons the commerce and industry of a
city should be regulated in manner
ton Of the din -rent departments OF \
large manufacturing concern. for "a city
like New York IL nothing more than a
big manufacturing enterprise.
The whole purpos. of the zone system
t. to increase the health. comf,st and
convenience of the public. and IN order
to accomplish this /, is absolutely neces-
sary to have the districts properly ar
IN ~ H. 4,
give each man for his dollar the great
est value possible IA housing and busi-
ness convenience proportionate to his
income: thai is 70 say. the business man
Of small income mus. be given the
same quantity of accommodation for the
proportion OF his income that he can
devote 10 such purpose "a is given the
business man of large income. the only
difference being the quality. Thus a
mechanic in renting "a six room house
should not have 20 pay for II q greater
proportion OF his income rhan the high
est salaried manager pays u his income
IN renting "A six room apartment for his
family, the difference in actual amount
being represented in quality. With the
zone system established there il very
htte shifting OF business districts. once
indefinitely.
While each city has It's own problems
20 solve tho classiilcations must De in
accordance with the results to be
achieved and with tho nature Of Its
activities and business; for example,
New York with its various Industries
and activities needs create: number
Of classitications and greater fleXibility
s., In f..,
wlich IS more devoted TO administrative
and social purposes. Suitable laws must
De enacted under which the necessary
regulation can be carried out and under
which citizens viii be protected in their
rights and prevented from interfering
with the rights Of others.
Directors 10 such regulations VIII DC
numerous but IL il only necessary To
recall that IN sporadic cases such sys-
tens Of regulations exist ana are car
ried out with even greater severity thaa
may often be necessary. ON certain
streets. for instance, no commercial
traffic Is allowed. while in others no
pcdlers can sell goods On the other
hand a millinery or similar establish
ment is at liberty at any time 10 move
N and spoil whole residential block,
to be followed shortly by laundresses
and bootmaktrs.
In the laying out OF districts the
objects To be- accomplished are tho pro-
viding OF healthful living and working
conditions, preventing OF concessions
and the grouping together of hose
whose income, tastes and n4iure OF
business are generally similar.
To secure the best results a cVnps-
tent civic engineer should 10 placed IN
charge OF the work, and the city should
by no means restrict itself to engineers
residing IN tho city itself; II should en-
deavor To obtain the best and most COM
petent available, either residents or not.
as no greater mistakes can be made
than TO place the work IN incompetent
hands.
New York az present IL contemplat.
ing the establishment OF 4 zone sys.
tenn. but II the same procedure IL adopt
ed "a was the case in connection with
the commission on the heights Of build
ngs, which recently published lts re-
port, no great beneficial results can he
expected. That report ~ compiled ev!.
IDENTIFY by men not sufficiently familiar
with matters OF modern city planning,
a. i evident by the numerous mistakes
exhibited throughout the report.
For Instance, the following is quo
tstlon from paragraph on page 100:
I'm Essen. as In most Of Prussia, no
man may build upon an unfinished
street without express permission OF tho
authorities; ana in practice no street Is
ever legally finished until the last home
on 1t il built"
one of the members of this commits
sion was sent 10 Germany 10 study city
planning and at the expense of New
York city for the sole purpose that tho
commission might benefit from the eN-
psience ana practice OF Germany, where
city planning and maintenance has been
developed az science for generations,
However reading a sentence like the
one cited. one IL entitled to draw ones
own conclusion that the results OF this
commission will rather be detriment tai
to tho welfare OF New York than bene-
hcial.
Having been affiliated for many years
with German municipalities prior To my
twelve years activity IN New York,
had recently the opportunity d!scuss