Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-08
COMMISSION FOR CITY
PLANNING NEXT step
Mayor Anxious That City Shall
Realize Full Benefit of.
Exhibit.
COMMISSION USUAL AGENCl
Over 200 Cities i'm the United States
Use That Method of Securing City
Planning-Immediat Purpose of
Exhibit Was Educational.


commission for Richmond is the next
step for this city. according to Mayor
George Ainslic. who was responsible
for bringing TO Richmond the city
planning exhibit. which came to a close
last night. The details, of the con-
Struction of the commission, the Mayor
says, he has not worked out in his
own mind, but he is thoroughly COM
mitted TO the view that Richmond must
get practical benefit from the CITY
planning exhibit. and that n prelimi.
nary step to this end lies through a
city planning commission.
GO SLOWLY IN ESTABLISHING
CITN-PLANNING COMMISSION
One of the purposes of city planning
is to avoid mistakes, the correction of
which is far moro costly than the
avoidance, and the Mayor gave IL as
his opinion that in so important and
vital Il matter as arranging for the cs-
tahliShmcnt of cityplannng COM
mission ii was of the utmost impor-
tame" TO go slowly and carefully so
that costly mistakes might be avoided.
Mayor AinSlic is giving the subject of
4 city-planning commission the most
careful thought and he intimatcd YES
tcrday in discussing the subject that he
teal recommendation on the subject to
make.
OF course" he said, "the immedia to
purpose of bringing the city-planninC
exhibit to Richmond was educational
That that purpose has been abundant
~ achieved | think all will agree The
object has been 10 show by what has
been done in other places what can be
done in scientifically controlling and
regulating the growth of Richmond
The people Of this city have been made
TO Sc" that as important a thing as the
future growth of city ought not to
be hapha2ard and chance work There
arc men who can draw plans for n city
just as for a building, Il boat or any
thing else"
ENPENSE OF EXHIBIT HAS
BEEN FULLY JUSTIFIED
Mayor Ainslic thinks the expense Of
the city-planninE exhibit has been JUS
tilted many times over.
why, il is a most ordinary occur
renee he said. FOR a city 10 send n
delegation 10 another city to inspect a
single Improvement. This is done at a
cost of say $1,000. or $1,000. as tho case
may be. Now this y-planniuE on
hibit has brought TO our doors the best
ideas OF tho bcst-planncd cities Of the
world at cost that is triinc by COM
rarison y conception of all these inn
provemcnts is given At one time right
at our own door. have been talking
city-planning ever since | have been
in office. Eut might have talked five
years ON the subject of city-planninc
without presenting the subject TO the
people of this city as adequately as has
been done by this exhibit in five days
NEARLY All. CTTY-PI.ANNING
DONE THROUGH COMMISSIONS
~ city planning commission is the
agency by which city planning is ac-
complishcd in nearly 200 cities OF the
United States alone, and there is hard
~ an important city in Europe that
has not developed under the direction
of such a commission. City planning
is a science. and cities, If they would
grow under conditions that will not in
volvc ihe correction at great expense
OF mistakes that might as we'll have
been avoided to begin with. must he
directed in their growth and develop
rcnt by men who have made n study
Of these things, and are in n position 20
look ahead and guard against costly
errors. AS il is now nearly everything
is done by gucsswork. certainly
without Intelligent consideration of
the various matters involved. There is
every reason both as a matter Of sym
mctrical development and as a matter
of economy Of the peoples time why
development should he along lines adj
ViScd by competent experts.