The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-05
BY MILDRED REED-BUNDY.

LOpEha Has WOli iltNtt Ia WI o5AS
comment from Harland Bartholomew
of St Louis, one of the foremost city
planners of the country, who has been
employed to make the Topeka city
plan. BARTHOLOMEW has been engaged
in city planning in all parts of the
country. He was city planning en-
gineer for Wichita and Hutchinson,
Kansas.
1T is often hazardous for a city
planner to venture an expression Of
first impressions, inasmuch as subse-
quent study of an acquaintance with
conditions may largely alter conclu
sions> first arrived at" Bartholomew
states in a letter to the city planning
board.
without qualification I may state
that Topeka is the most attractive city
in Kansas. Its splended profusion and
great growth Of the more hardy type
of trees, suchfa the elm. give to the
city AN aspect of unusual attractive
ness and charm. Few cities of the
middle west possess SO great growth
of trees l am told this has been due
to a provision, unique so far as my
knowledge goes, that each purchaser
of lot in the older part of the city
was required 70 plant a tree. The
result has been most Fortunate for
Topeka, more particularly since the
elm found favor instead of the less at
tractive poplar and sycamore so COM
monty found elsewhere in midwesterh
IN d e1,I
- '.e - = -
Pietiieilis ~ N7 al "a - > 80
trees so that the advantages of attrac-
tivencss and reduced summer tenn
peratures may be maintained"
Some Adverse Criticism.
Adverse criticism for Topeka was
made by Bartholomew regarding the
lacI, of recreation agencies
1T caDnot commend the FORESIGHT
of the cirv in its deveIoprnent of recre-
alton agencies" ne said. This is in
no sense a reflection upon past or
present recreation officers of the CITY.
In TopeI5a. as in other cities. the need
and ADVANTAGES of a well rounded out
scheme Of Fairgrounds of large and
small parks and of boulevards seems
not to have caught the public magma
ton, without which their acquisition
and development is impossible.
have not attempted to ascertain the
city's acreage in parks or its annual
expenditures for ACQUISITION and main
tenance, but l suspect il is not up to
tho AVERAGE"
Topeka's wide streets come in for
a share of approval from the expert
citv Manner
I'm street planning the CITY is the
fortunate pOssessor of a system of
wide thorofares in the older part of
tho CITY which facilitates traffic move
mont and relieve the CITY, of the nee
essitv Of numerous and costly open-
ines and yvidanines TO relieve conres-
zion in the business districts. that now
aqgkavaf7 MANY other cities" Bar
tbolonefy wrote. I.It is quite evident.
however. that no Thought has been
piven To the planning for streets in
areas deveIoued in recent Years
There is noticeable lack of definite
arteries of travel-crosstow streets
and radial thor0fares-tha are the
basic elements of proper CITY growth
and exDansion. AS a natural result
Of this haphazard growth Topeka. is
NOT eyperieneing expansion. A study
Of tho needs Of the CITY in this respect
will he INV first effort
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