New Britain herald., 1923-02-09
PARIS OUTSTRIPS
 PLANS FOR GROWTH
Is One of Worlds Compiler Pul.
 ilts in City Planning

Paris, Feb. s,-The problem Of guid- ing the growth of greater Paris pre- sents. according to French architects. one of the worlds most complex puzzles in city planning, Paris is like woman who wants to follow the fashions. but they change so rapidly she cannot make up her mind which ones to adept" explained M. Bonnier, chief Of the commission on the exten- sion of Paris. ,s
 Paris has been crowded out of her old limits. like London and New York, during the past fifteen years, In fact Paris exists today. but not on paper No less than twenty plans have been drawn for the stupendons task Of guiding this growth, and so far not one has been adopted, To execute any Of them would cost approximately half a billion dollars. and just now Paris has not got that sum.
 Paris in 1898 is easily the third city Of the world. and spreading far out to the country by leaps ana bounds. speculators are buying wherever they can land for residences, land for fae- tories and land for the new port con- meeting Paris with the sea by making use Of the river Seine.
 Actually Paris has a population nearing the Ave million mark. if count Is taken of the fact that the city has pushed it's suburbs twelve miles, on aR average, from Notre Dame cathedraH the point from which distances are measured. Officially in 1921 the popu- lation of the city proper was 2.9o6.472. for that part of Paris contained within the old encircling Notifications.
 The extension of Paris presents the triple problem of Chicago, New York and Washington. according to local architects. For instance. Paris Is a political capital, like Washington and must therefore be kept beautiful. But she is at the same time the greatest manufacturing trading and railroad center of France. like Chicago and New York. and she has many of the problems of these cities. Likewise, Paris is a vast educational center How to coordinate all these conflicting ele- ments, preserve her ancient traditions, and still go ahead, is the difficulty of those trying to guide her growth.
 A unique theory in city planning is advanced by Architect Bonnier. We must not set any hard and fast plan to force the development of the city," he maintains, beyond keeping the suburban lines of park space as the city races towards the country"
 No one can foresee our future" he argues. Paris, for instance. was never supposed to be manufacturing center, yet today automobiles and ] thousands of other things are made here... Suppose we plan space for these factories, and tomorrow they pick up and move fifty miles away? Where are we? Five years from now the population of Paris may be housed hundred miles out. and ride to busi- ness in airplanes. Then, I ask again, where are our expensive but empty city dwellings,?
 9%' Champs Elysees
 From the point of view and grandeur, the Avenue des Champs Elysees is regarded as the finest street in the world"
 But it is natural growth it was never pre-arranged. It was originally a part of the forest of Rouvray, that came to the very doors of the little city Paris was in those days. The royal families living in the Louvre