Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-09-23
CITY PLANNING N
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
T. |. Alderman Urges Instruc-
ton In Town Improvement.
EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT.

cUUGAIIUn ID ImFUh Ian il
Member of Committee on Town Plan
ming Says We Can Acquire Correct
Standards Only by Teaching Succeed
ing Generations.
Frederic L. Ackerman, a member Of
the committee on town planning of the
American Institute of Architects, advO.
Gates the teaching of city planning In
the public schools. 1t is his idea that
only by educating succeeding genera
tons of the public through the medium
Of the public school may we acquire
correct standards for remaking our
present cities and for building new
ones, and he brought it out in recent
address on 1.-THE Architectural Side of
City Planning" which he has had re-
printed.
Mr.. Ackerman's theory, as he himself
points out, Is more concerned with
education than with architecture. His
main theme Is that the architectural
side Of city planning is dependent upon
proper methods Of educating future cit
1xens up to high standards Of archi-
tectural beauty. Architecture. depends
20 utterly upon the physical conditions
Of an environment, he says, that unless
these conditions be reasonable archi-
lecture can do nothing.
He refuses to limit his definition Of
the term city planning. It is not mere
ly series Of legislative acts imposing
q set Of conditions to which a peoples
life must be warped into conformity.
says Mr.. Alderman, nor Is 1t merely
the carrying out Of certain theories de-
veloped by city planners, engineers and
students Of social and economic condi-
lions or Of the ideals Of an architect
1t is not merely providing for adequate
transportation, proper sanitation, bet
ter housing or more beautiful surround
ings. 1t is all Of these. with more add
ed to the list City planning, in brief.
Is provision for more adequate physi-
cal expression of the composite ideals
OF groups of people thrown together
by social and economic forces.
"Our composite thought and our cul-
ture are expressed in our physical en-
vironment through many subtle forces
and influences, both conscious and un-
conscious" says Mr.. Alderman. "City
planning Is not a substitute for these
forces; it is rather conscious effort to
: transform our vague ideals Of cOmmu-
nifty living into forms which will ac-
curately express such ideals"
The secrets of our culture and what
Mr.. Alderman calls our composite
thought are revealed by our rural
homes, villages and cities. Our ideals
Are. or should be. expressed by these
~ well, for our institutions are built
largely through their conscious and
unconscious influence. Disappointing.
then, are our ideals II we must Judge
from the physical appearance Of our
typical American cities" The truth
r, according to Mr.. Alderman, that our
/, ideals are high enough, but we do not
yet understand how TO correlate them
% our physical surroundings and condi-
lions. Correct correlation is to be
achieved through education, he argues.
Mr.. Ackerman's method Of teaching
city planning to the school child would
begin with making it clear to the child
that there are things for him to consid-
or in our towns and cities which are
vital to his comfort and well being and
which incidentally have to do with ar.
chitecture and art. The idea IL to in
stil In the child's mind keen interest
In the various phases Of his physical
environment and its possible improve
16ent,
VTtg failure Of the "city beautiful"
appeal in city planning Mr.. Alderman
attributes to the fact that it has moth
ylgg to do with the peoples ideal con-
cerning living conditions. The people
are not yet developed to the point
where they can see that the aesthetic
has definite economic value. They
respond, however, to an appeal for bet
ter city planning when approached
from the standpoint Of social and
economic values. taking into consider
alton such subjects as housing, santa
tion and congestion. This response is
due to the fact that the people rec
ognize an intimate relation between
city planning and their ideals Of in
dividual rights. liberty and adequate
physical environment.