The Arvada enterprise., 1915-06-03
PLAN REBUILDING
OF RUINED CITIES
Belgian Students of Town Plan.
ming Urge Use of Mod
ern Methods.
AGENTS ARE GATHERING DATA
Refugees In London Map Out Task to
Begin When Invaders Are Driven
Out 10000 Structures
Are Destroyed.

London.-So confident are Belgians
that the German invaders will shortly
be driven from their country that
plans are now being discussed and
drawn up In London for the scientific
rebuilding Of the devastated towns
and cities OF Belgium.
The idea Of rebuilding ruined Bel.
GUM upon modern scientific lines was
originated b. the International Gar
den Cities ana Town Planning associa.
ton and was enthusiastically accepted
by King Albert and the Belgian gov
eminent, While the British govern
ment has bestowed Its official bless.
ings on the scheme.
A committee called the Belgian
town planning committee has been
formed, made up of representatives OF
the various Belgian ministries. the
Royal Institute OF British architects.
the Institute OF Municipal and County
Engineers. the Town Planning Associa
ton of Great Britain. Belgium. France.
Holland. Poland. Russia and Spain.
At the first meeting of the commit
tee 1t was decided that the actual
work of rebuilding Belgium should be
done entirely by the Belgians them.
selves. from plans prepared by Bel
gian architects and engineers. and
that the work OF the English and
other non-Belgian members should be
advisory.
Obliged to Work Secretly.
Each member Of the committee
pledged himself not to accept any con.
tract or payment for any Of the work
In connection with the. rebuilding.
The committee is now devoting its
attention primarily 10 securing com
plete civic survey Of the devastated
towns and cities Of Belgium. This
work is proceeding slowly but success.
fully. slowly because 1t has to be done
secretly-right under the eyes Of the
Germans-and struggled out OF the
country piece by piece. The means
by which this il accomplished. and
who is doing 1t. cannot be revealed.
as 1t Is believed the Germans. II they
discovered 1t would put an effective
stop to 1t at once. II Is hoped. how.
ever. that within five or six weeks the
complete civic survey will have been
obtained.
Although definite plans are yet to
be formed, II Is probable that the
committee will do much more than
provide merely for the rehabilitation
Of the stricken towns SO as to pro-
vide homes for the war sufferers. Par
ticularly in England many men who
have made careful study OF town.
planning methods see In the present
an opportunity for the application OF
modern. scientific ideas. They urge
that Cities beautiful" such as have
been outlined In miniature worlds
fairs and on small scale in English
garden settlements should be erected
on the ruins OF the devastated Belgian
towns.
Must Consult Owners First.
1t Is questionable. OF course. to what
extent these methods can be EN-.
ployed, for there are the owners OF the
property to be consulted. One.ffth Of
the adult population owned their own
homes. and the residents OF Flanders
are distinctly conservative. But II is
inevitable that the new Belgium will
be nm Improvement on the old.
Ewart G. Culpin. who is the secre.
tary Of the committee and who is well
known In the United States through
his lectures on town planning. was
asked II the committee has decided
on any radical architectural or phys.
ical changes In any OF the ruined
towns. He said:
mo. but undoubtedly there win be
remarkable changes. Belgian cities
md towns have grown up In a hap.
hazard sort of way. In the rebuilding
Belgian genius viii Sind an outlet In
combining the architectural beauties
OF the Flemish with the physical re-
quirements which are demanded in
modern scientific town planning"
Viscount Bryce, who opened the Re
making OF Belgium exhibition. held In
University college. spoke of the gen.
eral project aB follow8;
viseount gryccs IDEAS.
Town planning is comparatively
new science in this country In the
middle ages beauty came naturally.
mems minds were full OF conceptIou
OF beauty. and the very Irregulnrlty
with which cities were built wns an
nj. - q,