The Washington times., 1927-09-24
STUDYING land
I. EXPLOITATION

Land exploitation is beginning to-
arrest the attention Of cities, Henry
Wright, of New York, chairman Of
the committee on community plan
ming of the American Institute Of
Architects, declares in a program
report made public here yesterday
by the president OF the institute,
Milton B. Medary, OF Philadelphia.
1--WE can take ii for granted,
says Mr.. Wright, THAT cities viii
continue to SOW their wild oats Of
extravaganee in projecting unneces-
sary and useless extensions Of terri
tory So long as the speculative urge
Is uppermost in the minds OF their
citizens.
There Is, however. growing evil
dence from many quarters that
cities are beginning to cast up their
balances or are taking an fnven-
tory Of their stocks in hand, and
that the question OF how to carry
over large quantities Of damaged
goods is at least live issue.
In Its, study Of the problem Of
land exploitation and subdivision
control, the committee Is assembling
q mass OF data relating to the ex-
tent Of recent land subdivision in
various cities the degree to which
the city is seriously working out
the problems of service, taxation,
government and responsibility for
these new areas, and methods Of
control which are being suggested
or carried out.
Making Study
1--WE learn the report continues,
ssthat our largest mid Western
metropolis. In which one authority
has estimated that newly plotted
suburban land has been opened up
sufficient to house 10000. 900 people,
Is now making a study to find out
where it is at One institution
has been making a study Of as
sessed valuations and has discoy.
cred widespread variations OF a
most remarkable nature.
Newly developed property mas
to d large extent escaped the at
tention of the assessor. and has
scarcely begun to carry more than
q meager part Of either general or
local costs. Another planning body
Ii digging into records which win
furnish reliable facts in relation
to the qiantitative factors of the
these studies is as yet ready for
public distribution.
A neighboring city which has
until recently maintained record
for rapid growth of population, has
80 Outstripped that growth that 1t
. has added q six.mile belt Of half
baked land development along its
circumference. The opinion Of our
I 11Ns g.. Al. =
much of this land will be aban-
doned to weeds and decay while
builders seek llnspoiled areas be-
yond. What are q few more min
utes by automobile to h0meseeker
Of the present era-where here Id
more land waiting for tE6 spoilers
art?
Area Doubled
Another city OF three -fourths Of
q million population has the unique
credit Of having not only plotted
built streets and sewers III d single
sector of its suburbs over an area
more than equal to the present resi-.
DENTAL area OF the city. Here the
township has put over the clever
Idea Of seeing that its bonded debt
limit Is reached in advance Of an
nexation to the city.
BY showing up In mass the
ridiculous lengths to which practic.
ally all our cities are going in the di-
rectiOn Of overexpansion. IL IS possi.
{ BILE that we might direct the attention
Of authorities to something more
pertinent than merely passing laws
TO regulate the width Of streets and
aize Of lots. Valuable as these ef-
forts might have been five years
ago. before we had already spoiled
4 most of the land IN sight, such Ell
forts are almost too late to be ef-
fectfve. I.