Evening star., 1927-11-06
REGIONAL PLANNING TASK
MUST BE COOPERATIVE
Carrying Out of Identification Projects
Requires Community Of Effort
Among Cities and Towns

/
the three States, and the co-ordlnated
action of scores of separate munich.
palities. Making the plan is probably
! the simplest part. Creating the
machinery and providing the funds to
carry it into effect are separate under.
| takings entirely.
Philadelphia also has a tristate
| problem in planning for its regional
development, with nearby communi
ties in Delaware and New Jersey
facing the same problems common to
those in Pennsylvania. Some sort Of
machinery is needed to plan for this
region and put the plan into effect,
| but instead of setting up the ma.
chinery first, the Regional Planning
| Federation of the Philadelphia tri.
state district is endeavoring to create
| a demand for the machinery by i'm.
pressing each community with the
fact that it is to it's best interest to
subscribe to a regional plan. When
the idea sinks in, there is anticipated
little trouble in carrying into effect
4 real regional plan.
Pittsburgh's Problem.
But Pittsburgh is going about the
problem from a different angle. Pitts.
burgh and some 40 municipalities
which lie within short distance need
plan for co-ordinated development
and through an enabling act of the
Pennsylvania Legislature a commits
sion has been created to make the
plan. Pittsburgh does not want to
annex the cities which come within
it's region, and the cities themselves
are fighting shy Of annexation. The
Pittsburgh planning body, however,
yry0 y1f 70 l-1
its plan, but to carry it out, regard
less of the objections which may be
interposed by one or more of the
municipalities. In other words, it
wants a power which will supersede
the authority of the municipalities
and Of the counties in the region, and
is seeking legislation which will give
it certain despotic character to ac-
complish what it believes would not
be accomplished merely through
friendly cooperation.
The examples of Philadelphia and
Of Pittsburgh afford an interesting
demonstration of the two opposing
views held by those interested in
regional planning. One group favors
the setting up of a regional plan and
making the plan effective by coop
erative action of the communities and
AiAOAAiSipdllliCo oACStcu. AIlOluSE group
favors putting plan into effect by
granting to commission a power
exceeded in a State by the Legisla-
ture alone.
There is much to be said in favor of
both plans. The cooperative plan is
more in keeping, perhaps, with the
spirit OF a democracy, but it contains
the weakness Of democracy. There
may be seven communities ready to
cooperate in the adoption of a
regional plan. but the eighth will with.
hold its cooperation to the detriment
OF the seven. In addition, CO.
operation Is fine when the spirit
moves, but the spirit is often long in
moving, SO that regional plan de.
pending for its effectiveness upon CO.
operative action. may remain a plan
for many years, causing a great deal
Of talk and debate but resulting in no
action.
Three Local Agencies.
On the other hand, the planning
commission or board with extraor-
dinary power to put it's plan into eff
the most practical and expeditions
method, but instead of kindling en-.
thusiasm for the regional plan, it
breeds antagonism, resistance and
jealousy at the outset. County COM
missioners, for instance, may not be
so particularly interested in or in love
with their duties as to plan for high
ways. But as soon as board or COM
mission is set up to take over this
duty, the county commissioners see
themselves losing prestige and go into
executive session for the purpose of
bowling loudly. A city may have been
talking about zoning and a park sys-
tenn for years, and accomplishing
nothing in either direction. But along
comes a planning commission with
authority to tell the city where its
parks will be, and make assessments
for the purchase of those parks, and
terrific scream of rage ensues, and
the city advises the regional planning
| commission to go and find a deep,
dark lake and jump into it.
One method for combining the good
| points Of both the voluntary and the
| compulsory system Of regional plan
ming is to intrust to one body the de-
velopment of such important acces-
! sories to health and comfort as
| through highway routes, rapid transit
| lines, coming, water and sewerage sys-
mittees and municipalities the prob
| lem Of locating their own schools and
! their parks.
Here in Washington there is much
| interest now in plans for the metro
| politan area OF the Capital, but in
stead Of having one agency to make
and coordinate plans for the city and
| it's contiguous territory there are
/ three--the National Capital Park and
| Planning Commission, the Maryland
National Park and Planning Commits
| sion and the Virginia Park and Plan
| ming Commission. The Virginia body
| has no power and no money. The
Maryland body has power, but it can
| spend money raised in Montgomery
| County only in Montgomery County
and money raised in Prince Georges
| County only in that county, and the
authorized revenue from Prince
Georges County is not as great as
that authorized for Montgomery
! County. The National Capital Park
and Planning Commission has au-
| thority to acquire park sites in Mary
land and Virginia, but so far has not
| exercised this power because the
money appropriated represents, in the
| main, money from District of Colum-
|, bia revenues.
Co-ordinating Plans.
Nooi uAidtIHS (He pldHs 1oI ""0ii
| ington and for its outlying sections Is
now matter of cooperation between
the Capital planning body and the
State organizations. There is no occa-
sion to anticipate such trouble, but
| should marked divergence OF opinion
arise between the planning bodies
there is no higher authority 10 which
the disagreement can be submitted.
Success of the plans lies in the con
tinued ability Of the planning commits
sions TO cooperate. One Of the plans
now for drawing into closer union
the planning bodies of Maryland and
Virginia is the extension of the Dis
trict park system north along both
banks of the Potomac River.
A few years ago coming was re
garded as an extraordinary use OF the
| police powers of the State. giving IL