Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-02
PIONEERS LAUDED
FOR CITY PLANNING
Bartholomew Says They Ex.
ercised Good Judgment in
Handling Civic Problems.
Special Dispatch to The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW ORLEANS, La, November a.
The early pioneers of this country
showed better judgment in city planning
than the generations that came aftel
them and the present problems in Amer.
lean cities are due chiefly to the lach
of vision of modern business leaders
Rarland Bartholomew, engineer of the
City Plan Commission of st. Louis, Mo
declared at the sixteenth annual con-
vention of the Mortgage Bankers ASso.
citation OF America here.
Speaking on the mortgage bankers re.
lation to city planning, Mr.. Bartholo-
NEW, who is president of the American
City Planning Institute and director oil
the city planning division CT the Ameri-
can Society of Civil Engineers, said that
II the subsequent builders OF American
cities had possessed half the vision of the
early pioneers, the city of today would
present a totally different aspect and
be O much more workable structure.
Provided for Parks.
The early plats of American cities
usually provided rather generously for
parks. open spaces and wide streets in
accordance with some more or less
DEFINITE design, but since business lead
ers took over the direction of city
growth, the present condition of our
cities is discredttable, the speaker de-
clared.
Twenty years ago the city planning
movement received its initial impetus
under modern conditions by the publica-
ton OF the Plan OF Chicago and the
formation of the National Conference
on City Planning, and within this 90
year period 600 city plan commissions
have been created, $50 coming ordi-
nances have been passed and consider
able legislation has been enacted, but
there still remains much to be done
said Mr.. Bartholomew, especially in view
of the enormous increasing growth of
American cities.
THE last half century has witnessed
an enormous increase in the urban pop
ulation of the United States" said Mr..
Bartholomew. "More than so per cent
of the total population now live in
cities. If we follow the history of older
countries. as there Is every reason to
believe we should. we may look forward
to an urban population approximately
30 to IS per cent of our total population.
Estimates vary as to the probable total
population increase in this country, but
1t will possibly be from so to 100 per
cent. Since the larger cities will absorb
much Of the increase. we may confident
~ expect many Oh UuE ClCleS W uouple
and treble in size"
Mortgage bankers should consider the
extent to which their loans may en-
courage sound and appropriate develop
ment, for obviously such development
will not only add to the strength of the
economic structure of the city, but will
also raise living standards by providing
better housing and will inevitably result
in a general improvement of the city's
appearance, said Mr.. Bartholomew.
Economic Wastes Cited.
"The unprecedented growth of Ameri-
can cities has been characterized oy
enormous economic losses and too often
by less desirable living conditions. Most
significant among the great economic
wastes accompanying the sporadic
growth of cities has been the develop