Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-23
PLANNING

TO SIX InuIlIlpdl pldilllHB SuSlpetIi
tell of what they had accomplished
in the way of comprehensive plan
ming for New York and Its environs
Quietly but steadily this work Is go
ing on backed by what is known a
the Russell Sage Foundation. Muci
OF that old fnancier's fortune wa
left for the purpose of conducting
a survey and planning for a grea
city of the future. 1t was stated
at the dinner Wednesday night tina
a report in detail will be made II
May, next year.
The survey embraces New Yorl
city and the surrounding country fol-
a radius of fifty miles from New
York City Hall. This includes q
district extending as far as New.
burgh to the north, Bridgeport to the
east, all of Long Island, southwark
to Princeton and Point Pleasant
and westward to Lake Hopatcong
and Greenwood Lake. This has been
divided into six districts with an
expert engineer in charge OF each
one.
There are at present about S,000,-
900 people living within this area,
more than the total population OF
the Dominion of Canada. And the
number is rapidly increasing every
year. The average person gives nc
thought to the development of this
territory as a whole, 1t being taken
for granted that industries will GO
on locating at the places most ad-
vantageous for them, houses will be
built as the need for them arises,
and they naturally will bring bust
ness, increasing the number OF
stores, offices, etc. And thus we &c
on from year to year, letting the de-
velopment take care of itself.
True, here and there a municipal
ity is far-sighted enough to have a
city plan commission appointed to
look into the future a little bit and
plan accordingly, but there is no
effort whatever to coordinate these
plans so that the metropolitan dis
trict may develop with the idea OF
unity. Here is where the Russell
Sage Foundation comes in and plans
for New York and its environs as a
| whole.
Transportation, of course, is Of
primary consideration. Getting t
and fro between the hundreds o.
towns and cities within this area
as well as communication with Man.
haitian, which Is the center, Is get
ting to be a serious problem, ever
now; what It will be twenty-five
or fifty years from now it is hard
to imagine. This is one of the prob.
lens that the plan of New York
and it's environs is hoping to solve
But the engineers in charge OF
this work are interesting themselves
only in the possibilities of highways
although it was brought out that
railroad passenger terminals. esre'
cially the roads that cater to COM
muters, are already crowded, the
Central Railroad of New Jersey. for
instance, sending trains out of 1T
Jersey City terminal during the
peak of the rush on a one-minutt
Roadway. The Lackawanna, too, Il
operating trains to the limit of III
present facilities.
There are no main trunl; high
ways to handle the heavy trucking
and the ever increasing automobile
traffic in the metropolitan district
Such roads as exist, the experts
point out, are merely a continue
ton of streets and old country roads
that have been connected, and paved
in many instances, but they are al
too narrow and have many danger
Gus curves and grades that are otter
round about and confusing.
Then, too, the matter of zoninl
has been taken up. 1t is realized
that this great area around New
York city cannot go on growing II
a h~odge-podge manner. The topog'
raphy of the land has been care.
fully studied and districts for manu-
featuring and commerce have beer
laid out; other districts that ar
best adapted for close Residential
purposes are indicated while still
other parts best suited to what 1
called open residential development
meaning the country estates anC
houses with considerable grounds
about them, are designated. Then
the parks, parkways, and breathing
spaces for the people who make VI
this vast population are provided
for, with certain regions that ar,
best adapted to agriculture reserved
for farming.
All of these matters have an i'm
portant bearing on the future pros
perity and happiness of the people
Very important is the preservation
of the water supply, and certain
areas are set aside in the genera