Evening star., 1926-09-18

Whitaker. editor Of the Journal of
the American Institute Of Architects,
asserts in symposium of the insti-
tute on cities Old and New
Much thinking is necessary to rem
edv existing evils Of large cities. says
MIR. Whitaker. though such an effort
might he pure waste. Human life. he
odds. may he parasite destined to
consume it's inheritance of natural re
sources and pass on.
Science Lacks "Sanctity."
Science is expected to cure all Ills.
declares Mr.. Whitaker. hut it has be-
gun AT the wrong end and lacks
'sanctity." the one human element
capable OF making 1t the servant of
man.
HAS architecture any control over
communal order and serenity?" he
asks 1T should have. 1t should
have something very vital to do with
the planning and building of city.
but under present conditions how
much Of what it has to offer can he
made available. or is wanted? This
something OF which I speak greatly
tranScends the personal relations OF
architect and client.
"SerNin". even with the r:rnoSt
fidelity, the caprices or the enforced
business neeG> az = client is no, the
way TO esta hliSh communal order and
serenity. The present plight and ap-
pearance of every big city indicates
that very plainly no sensible architect
would dispute the assertion that If
modern city were to he laid out anew,
not one of the enforced limitations
under which he now works and which
ever serve 70 acgravate the menacing
problems of urban growth. would be
n pt fnin cd
Case Of One Great City.
"I.et us state the case of one great
city. 1t Is an isla nd. a great seaport.
an ever rising pyra mid of great pos
sessions. an ever mounting flood Of
humans. What physical design II
has came largely from the Tsquare
and triangle. Along the street lines
thus squared off. or. worse still. along
the lines OF those streets that grew
about The wanderings Of cattle or
about the simple needs and applied
knowledge of the settlers. there has
arisen An unrelated network of divi-
sions called party lines.
They are the most unrea soma bile
things in a city. and vet the most
sacred They not only induce the
most ridiculous of monstrosites. in
which the art and process of arch-
they are adamant in their resistance
to order and serenity the while they
breed congestion and chaos.
IF this island city were replanned
with street areas proportioned prop
erly. and then covered with five 81 Dry
buildings without regard for the pres
ent arbitrary party lines. il would
have more available floor area than
II now has and no congestion,
DO these physical and dominating
factors. underlying the building of
cities rest upon science? Indeed, Moth
ing could he farther removed. They
rest originally upon the polite histori-
cal phrases Of taking possession.
grants founding and 50 on.
Very Bitter Pill.
"Ye, we proceed 10 the task az city
planning. which in the case Of our
existing cities can Imply nothing
more than some pills and a lotion.
grim and tragic.
"N-e zone and restrict: We burrow
and elevate We solemnly announce
double or triple decks for streets. and
the mad remedy is choired hy the
rroIetariat Orchestrated by the news
PAL and So will likely come to pass.
Just as the mad remedies of silhWays,
tunnels and high buildings have also
prevailed.
Shall we still admit in spite Of the
sieve in which we sail and through
the iig-saw party lines and street
layouts of which al our work efforts
filter out that architecture has do
main over the process Of city huild-
ing? All we can say is that il ought
to have; that it is the one qualified
art for the purpose. which means ar
Chitecture in its complete sense ana
not the mark ed off area of human ac-
tivity supposedly in the possession of
architects.
No Way to Make 1t Effective.
How can il be made effective?
There is no way. a. present. Much
thinking will have to he done. Many
raorle must first submit them
selves 10 the rlgors Of Intellectual in
teerity. II NAV he that such an ef
fort is pure waste II may he that
human life is parasite. destined to
consume its inheritance o. natural
resources and pass on. II may he that
II merely awaits the rebellion Of the
one force Of which every living or
eanisrn save man is aware, the force
of which mans science has told nm
nothing.
cone could easily make out plau
sihle case for such view. The re-
cent report on the decline nf soil vi
talty in The United States would
startle a less confident race. The
present hig cities and their passion
for becoming bigger. Historically in
terpre'ed would support the Cs.nten-
tion that we We're making good
progress to our parasitiCal end. But
few wish to believe in such theory.
Re the thought conscious or lat
aat. moSt men believe that we have II
within our power 10 achieve some
thing better in the way of life.
What they mean by better varies
great deal. hut the effort in that di-
rection is popular one. often very
sincere, and Of considerable volume.
Two Groups In Cities.
As for the city. there are roughly
Two groups: The hig -cityists and the
little-cityists The first believe that
the CITY is inevitable and that we
must make the hest Of IL: or. that
All Dope