The Washington times., 1929-11-16
CITY PLANNING
SEEN AS j. 5.
GREAT NEED

n - HHAO8k h1&A ~ w ~ CAAAAAAAk0OS N"A~
ugliness OF the nations. cities and
TO educate the people Of the
United States to appreciate
beauty In architecture and city
planning is the motive OF g.
campaign recently started by the
American Institute Of Architec-
tiIre.
Moving pictures depicting the
beauty of architecture and the
park planning system OF the
Nations Capital are being en-
ployed to illustrate how a city OF.
beauty and distinction can be de
veloped. This film is being
shown to high schools, colleges,
chambers of commerce, civic
bodies, women's clubs, art bodies
and other organizations through
out the country, and portrays the
architectural advance Of the Ma
tiOnal Capital as a model Tor
the cities of the entire nation.
Nearly ALI Ugly
American cities are 80 per cent
ugly and the result Is an enor-
NOUS waste and depreciation, ac-
cordiI1g to Charles II. Cheney,
chairman of the Institutes city
and regional planning committee
which is striving to stimulate an
awakening in behalf Of better
city architecture and park plan
hing.
THE seriousness of the situa-
ion lies, however, in the fact
that the percentage of new build
ings, really eSthetically good, is
not increasing" Cheney says. In
some cities it is even decreasing.
The building inspectors tell us
they are getting fewer plans to
day than formrly by men trained
Do produce good design.
"Tt is unthinkabie that a rich
country like this should tolerate
such needless uglinesS to be hung
like a milestone about our necKS.
The same amount of buildings
could be built attractively for the
same money or less.
Planning Needed
Sound city and regional plan
ming, that takes carefully into
account the esthetic factors OF
city building, as inseparable from
the economic and social factors,
would soon produce different re-
suits. Much more use Of trained
city planners should be made by
city planning commissions, and
every such commission should
have an architect as a member,
because architects have special
knowledge Of how to produce at
.tractiveness in city building.
''Zoning and major street plans
are important, but they are but a
small part Of city planning. The
widening of major streets for the
new motor. age Is everywhere
cutting down trees and leaving
our cities uglier than ever. Such
city planning is not sound unless
provision is made In the same or
parallel proceedings for the re-
planting of the street trees.
Ruthless Disagreement Of this
kind, If caused by the neglect of
a city planning commission or
city engineer or city council,
should be sufficient cause for re-
noval from office.
Traffic . Problem
"A major traffic street plan
which neglectS or overlookS the
necessity of maintaining impor-
tant vistas, of purposely shifting
over to make opportunity for To-
cation Of important buildings and
groups ON axis of providing for
arcading or of harmonious block
treatment Of downtown architec-
ture, or group planning in resi-
dence as we'll as business dis
trictS, is no solution of the city
plan.
Zoning ordinances and building
codes have more effect on archi.
lecture and landscaping than
any other agencies. The glorious
new architecture of New York.
caused by the New York zone
ordinance in its Step-back pro-
visions for light and air, is one
profound esthetic result Of the
city building of our time.
There is much yet to be done
in Washington to change it
from only IS per cent of city
to something nearer IS or 80 per
cent and the Capital Park and
Planning Commission should be
upheld in the work it is doing to
this end.
President Hoover's recent ap,
pointment of William Adams
Delano, of New York city, to this
commission will meet with the
approval Of the entire country.
His long service on the Fine Arts
Commission of Washington, and
his untiring interest in the de.
velopment of the Capital.