Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19
BEAUTY SACRIFICED
TO TRAFFIC NEEDS
American Cities Declared to
Be DespoiIing Trees
Unnecessarily.

American cities are sacrificing their
natural beauty in efforts to provide re-
lief for increased traffic, according to
Charles H. Cheney, chairman of the
committee on city and regional plan
ming of the American Institute of
Architects.
In many municipalities, Mr.. Cheney
declared, great avenues of trees are be-
ing cut down to adapt streets laid out
for a horse-drawn era to the needs of
the motorist. These trees, he said, were
"the only saving grace to cover up the
90 per cent of bad design and poor
architecture with which our towns are
50 carelessly filled.
Everywhere the increased use of the
automobile, demand for traffic relief, as
we'll as for airports, parks and new and
enlarged business centers are requiring
enormous changes, particularly In the
widening of streets laid out for horse
drawn era" Mr. Cheney continued.
THE smaller cities of the country, even
the small towns, need major street
plans and other comprehensive plans as
badly as the big metropolitan areas.
Trees DispoiIed NeedlessIy.
"These plans are everywhere causing
the cutting down of great avenues of
trees for street widenings and extern
sions. In many cases these tree cut
tings are needless and avoidable. Our
cities are becoming yearly uglier and
more forbidding as they are gradually
being denuded of the fine old trees and
shelters of greenery that hid their
tawdry appearance.
California now has law authorizing
replanting of trees in the same pro-
ceeding that undertakes the widening
and improving of highways, and the
next few years must see much greater
attention on the part of the public and
city planners in this respect or our
despoiling age"
Mr.. Cheney said that major traffic
street plans are reported completed in
IA cities. according to the civic develop
ment department of the Department
of Commerce Sixty-four more cities.
he added. have started traffic planning
operations.
Major Street Plans Needed.
Among the cities where major traffic
plans are being carried out, 1t is stated.
are st. Louis, Detroit. Los Angeles and
Chicago. In each of these cities ap-
preparations for important new sections
were made during 1929. Los Angeles
has nearly 500, 1000 900 of proceedings
completed or under way on the major
street plan adopted in 1924, which will
finally total more than $200.000,00. In
Boston comprehensive plan has been
completed by Robert Written, city
planner, and will shortly be made
public.
1.-The difficulty with major street
plans" Mr.. Cheney explained. lis to
establish future street lines SO that new
structures will not go up In the path
OF necessary openings and widenings.
The splendid New York State law pro-
hibits buildings where the official major
street plan has been adopted by the
city council. Schenectady has set the
pace for the country by adoption OF
its complete plan. Several other States,
including California. now provide meth
DDS for such adoption.
st. Louis Leads.
"St. Louis continues to develop the
most consistent and thorough city plan
ming work of the country under the di-
rection of Harland Bartholomew, city
planner, and E. j. Russell, chairman of
the commission, who have so faithfully
carried on the work since its inception
in 1916. The fundamental factors of
this success In planning are thoroughly
complete and well prepared technical
plans, widespread public understanding
and support and sympathetic official
cooperation In the execution of plans"
At Radburn, N. j., according to Mr..
Cheney. the planners of the town have
built what they call THE New Town
for the Motor Age" Not satisfied with
merely wide streets. the town planners
have turned their little city inside out"
with each house facing restful garden
or park.
''The houses are all arranged for
traffic safety in groups around cul-de-
sac streets" MIR. Cheney said, with
parks in the centers of the large blocks
and sidewalks along the edge of the
parks, so that children and pedestrians
do not have to walk along the traffic
street to school and the business dis
trict. Here several hundred homes
have already been completed In good
architecture harmonious in arrange
ment and grouping. and fulfilling the
claim of the town of being a city inside
out with each house facing restful
garden or park"
The group of architects and town
planners who collaborated In the
achievement of the Radburn plan were
Clarence S. Etein, Henry Wright. Fred
erick l.. Alderman, Andrew j. Thomas,
Thomas Adams, Robert d. Kohn and
Raymond Unwin.