Evening star., 1928-08-12
BY THOMAS II. HENRY.

BY THOMAS II. HENRY.
r TNDER the eyes Of the present
generation the physical struc-
ture of the American city has
~ undergone far reaching
changes
The result is population center OF
a sort that the world never has known
before In the wake Of these changes
have come vital problems for the soiu-
tion of which there are no precedentS.
Old and tried forms of municipal gov
eminent have cracked under the tre-
mendOus pressure Of an expanding
population Evils have arisen which
demand radical remedies.
The National Capital itself offers IN
some respects an excellent example Of
the new type Of city. Here follows
description Of what has taken place,
presented before round table confer
ence on municipal management at the
University of Virginia this week. which
easily will be recognized by every Wash
tonian as descriptive Of the changes
III his own community:
Growth of Suburbs.
Broad areas which decade or so
ago knew only the ploughshare and the
plodding feet of cattle are now covered
with homes schools. parks, golf courses.
paved highways, water. sewer, gas.
telephone and transportation lines. The
ubiquitous gas station and dry cleaning
establishment skirt the old family
cemetery The remaining trees Of old
apple orchards nov cast their Spring
petals ON close -Clipped lawns. The
Wood-lot Of the earlier day now Clois-
+r.r IL i'll IL
ChateauX to house the Sci0ns Of families
whose mansions graCed the avenues of
the central and compact city Of the last
generation
Instead of the voices Of the meadow
and barnyard the clank Of the steam
shovel. the siren of the motor and the
urbane voice Of the radio are heard in
the land. Instead of looking to the
morning sun and the lowing herd the
present dWeller looks to the gas tank
Under the surge of forces which char
actarize modern industrial civilization
the old city literally has overflown its
banks and spread itself over the Coun-
trySide'
This is exactly what has happened
10 Washington. But the fact is that
the above description has nothing TO do
with Washington. II happens to have
been written by the secretary Of the
regional government commission of
Cleveland regarding the changes that
have taken place in that Ohio metrop-
oils and it would be Just as applicable
to any of 40 or 80 cities scattered all
over the United States.
Escapes Some Problems.
Washington. fortunately. has escaped
some Of the more pressing governmental
and sociological problems which else
where have attended the transforma-
ton Of the compact. old-fashioned city
into what may be called for want of
better term. "a metropolitan area ="
But u has not undergone the change
entirely unScathed.
Toward the solution Of these prob
lens a group OF experts from different
sections of the country. under the lead
erShip of Prof Thomas n Reed of the
University of Michigan. have been de-
voting their attention the past week.
II IS a subject which comes close to the
daily life Of every urban citizen. Few
/ OF his acts are not regulated in some
way or other by his municipal govern
ment. From the moment he turns on
/ the faucet IN his bathroom when he
I
time when he switches off his reading
light at the head of his bed before
falling asleep he is continually In close
contact with the municipal organi2a
/ ton. Next to his family and his lob
/ 1t comes close to being the most I'M
! portant thing in his life But such is
its nature that the citizen quite fire.
quently Is impressed with the futilitv OF
| trying to exercise his natural rights i'll
connection with it The historical type
+ Of municipality has disappeared almost
altogether. but the time-vorn form of
municipal machine has been patched
up clumSily and still awaits its relc<a-
/ tion 70 the scrap heap.
Idea of Colonists.
The American colonists brought with
them from Europe their conception of
units of local government. These units
had not changed greatly from the earh-
est days Of civilization. The origin of
the county. the city, the township and
the parish Is lost in the mlSts of an
tiquity. The conception Of a CITY was
that of closely built-up area of con-
gested population clearly set OF from
the surrounding country II goes back
to the days when the city was built for
defense and confined within high walls
the ruins Of which still are preserved
IN many European municipalities. In
those days cities could grow but In one
dlrection-up They climbed as close
to the sky as was possible without
structural steel and elevators
Finally Ssige artillery made walls
useless and the city was released from
It's frowning prison Population, how
ever, still was held to the center by
absence of means of transportation.
Its expansion 10 any great extent be-
came possible only late in the nine
tcenth century when electric railways
came into operation But II remained
for the automobile and the paved high
way 10 produce a really revolutionary
change II has freed millions 10 in
duIge III that passion for home and
and ownership which Is fundamental
III the instincts of the raCe-and yet
10 remain urbanites
" consequently nobody can tell where
me city ends and the country begins.
around every city IS a quasi -urhanlged
area OF constantly increasing extent.
THESE areas usually include a number
ot communities, long established and
formerly independent. which now are
absorbed IN the growing whole
Presents Serious Problems
"Metropolltanism in this sense" saws
PROT Reed, lis new phenomenon and
II presents some of the most serious
problems which face students of gov
crnment today"
Prof Reed continues.
These metropolitan areas POSSESS a
clear economic and social unity. hut
they ordinarily correspond with no ex-
listing political division. Cities have
grown by annexation, but much more
SLOWLY than the new distribution of
population Within each metropolitan
area there are numerous independent
authorities large and small each work
ng out It's own salvation with scarcely
any regard to the welfare of the whole
Sumo nf Ihnsn ant hnrlfins a ~, a,,,nM h,