, 1922-09-26
History of Zoning

CLEVELAND is the. latest of the cities to fall in
y line and adopt a coming PLAN says a writer in
Worlds Work.
This new idea of municipal growth had it origin
in Boston in 1911. In that year the enterprising
Bostonians awoke to the haphazard way that their
city, like most American cities. was growing and
the unrestricted license which builders and real
estate spectators enjoyed. They, therefore, passed
an ordinance which limited the height of all build
ings to 125 feet and in other ways curtailed the ell
thusiasm Of contractors. Los Angeles soon followed
with a more comprehensive scheme; this divided
the city into districts, each district being
placed aside for particular use-that is, one was
to be used for residences, another for apartment
houses, another for office buildings. another for
factories and the like. New York City adopted an
even more drastic coming plan in 1916. In that
year it became apparent that Fifth avenue, which
is unquestionably the most beautiful shopping
street in the world, was about to be extinguished.
The clothing manufacturers who had started build
ing large clothing factories in the lower sections
of the avenue we're rapidly encroaching north. They
had already reached Tbirty-second street and the
time was not far distant when this industry would
presempt the avenue as far as Central Park, COM
pletelv destroying its beauty and its usefulness as
a headquarters of the highest class trade. New
York, therefore, passed laws WHICH prohibited the
use of Fifth avenue above Thirtysecond street for
factories and set aside other large areas west of
Sixth avenue for that purpose. About sixty cities
in the United States have now followed the ex-
ample of these communities and are working on 4
coming system. The question of course has had to
run the gauntlet of the courts, for there seemed to
be some doubt as to the legality of setting aside
certain territories TO be used for certain purposes.
The good old doctrine that a man can do as he likes
with his own, utterly regardless of his neighbors,
had controlled the development OF cities as we'll as
many other things in American life. The legal
point. however, has been passed upon definitely by
the United States supreme court, which has de
cidcd that a city has the right TO control its own
growth.
AS illustrating the development of the social sense
and the progress of the highest civilization these
coming systems are emphatically 10 the point. The
most intelligent American no longer believes that
the salvation of the country lies on an unrestrain-
ed democracy, and more and more the wholesome
idea is gaining ground that the interest of the
whole population rather than the rights" of indi-
viduals is the consideration that should. govern
public policy. In utilitarian matters this principle
is now completely recognized. The story of our
boards of health is a story of constant interference
with the daily lives of Individuals; the reason for
this, of course, is that there is nothing SO demo
cratic as the microbe and nothing which a man so
shares with his contemporaries as disease. 1t is
to be hoped that in the future, beauty as well as
usefulness will assert the same claim on legisla-
lures. The fact that more than sixty cities in the
United States have decided that they will control
the erection of buildings, all in the interest of pro
noting the aesthetic rights Of the people, is per
.haps the most conspicuous proof that this new con
ception is making ~headway. The recent action OF
New York IN prohibiting the erection of billboar.lS
in certain parts of the city is another evidence of
the same eleYatng tendency"