Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-05-25
70 AVOID MISTAKES.

A former resident of this city now
in Europe. knowing that the EVE
MING NEWS is interested in the city
plan Idea. has sent us an editorial
from the Paris edition of the New
York Herald. of which The following
IS a part:
About a year ago. a law was adopt
ed in France requiring every urban
community of ten thousand inhabi-
tants of more to establish within three
years such plans as to the municipali-
ties seemed wise for improvement.
establishment and extension. The OBJ
1ect OF the law. of course, was to fol-
low In the wake of the city-planning
movement which Is already ac-
comprising remarkably benehcent re-
suits in England and America. All are
agreed on the necessity OF bringing
about some degree OF order in the
matter OF the ash-heaps which civic
progress causes to accumulate on the
outskirts Of our cities, 50 that the
approaches may take the semblance Of
some approach to beauty and attrac-
tiyeness.
Similarly, there Is general recogni-
tion of the necessity Of charging n
extending streets for better commun-
icatlon between the various points in
the city and of creating parks and
open spaces. I'm a word, OF ameliorat-
ing tho conditions created by the pill
ing up Of thousands and hundreds Of
thousands of human beings to stihe
within the limits Of a few square
miles. For such improvements there
are impelling reasons on the score OF
health. as on that OF esthetics. 1t
has been well said. for instance, that
gardens planted with trees and other
open spaces are the lungs of all great
cities"
All great cities realize the advantage
of a city plan, Now that they are big
they see the mistakes OF the past and
1t Is the universal opinion that II they
only had had o city plan when they first
began to grow these mistakes that
now cost millions OF dollars to correct
would have been avoided.
The lesson for Perth Amboy is to
adopt a city plan now so that as the
city grows these mistakes al be
avoided. The next ten or fifteen years
will see big Developments in this
vicinity. 1t Is for us to say right now
whether the city will be In a position
measure up to its opportunities.
Over in Plainfeld the city is about
70 spend $4,000 to widen a portion
of a street, which is only a part of an
Improvement that is deemed necessary
for the future development of that
city. New Brunswick is also engaged
81 the same business of buying up
property to widen a portion OF George
street so as to make that thoroughfare
what 1t should be.
All OF these things come under the
head of a city plan. Many little
links and snarls OF this kind are
bound to creep In as a city grows UNI
aess there Is a definite plan to so by.
II we allow Perth Amboy to grow
an a haphazard there is no
telling what expense future genera
Aions will be put to in an effort to cor
rect the mistakes. Now is the time,
when the city is just starting on its
greatest development. to see that
thatever is done is of a permanent
nature and viii fit In with the re-
quirements fifty years from now as
well as today. BY q comparattN ely
slight expenditure of money we IAN
accomplish this through a competent
City Plan Commission. Certainly It
ought to be done before IL is too late.