Evening star., 1943-08-22
AT
Notes
City Planning for
| The Postwar Days
Here and Abroad
Bv Leila Mechiin.

the lar SlgnteQ, IN 1redb bIltdlI
and our own country, are con-
cerning themselves with the making
Of postwar plans not only for
restoration of towns and cities
bombed by the enemy and the i'm
provement Of those over-grown
through the increase and shifting
Of population. but also in the field
Of education In art as a practical
and democratic measure, looking to
the good of the people at large and
the greater happiness of all.
A first step was taken in March,
1941, during the prolonged blitZ,
when, under the auspices of the
Royal Society of Arts, meeting
was held to consider and discuss
THE London of the Future" or
London replanned.
At this extraordinary meeting the
Lord Mayor of London presided,
the president of the Royal Society
of British Architects was the chief
speaker, and among those who took
part In the discussion were other
outstanding architects, members of
Parliament and the dean of St.
Paul's Cathedral.
The spirit which pervaded this
meeting was that of optimism. Out
OF the ruins of the past, not only
London but all the lesser cities and
towns Of England, were to arise in
greater beauty-the calamity was
treated in the light of opportunity,
the speakers in every instance look
ing forward not backward. The
common agreement was that slunls
must be abolished, that the prac-
tical must be given place with the
esthetic, but also that London must
remain the London of the past,
linked with history, while taking
on fairer, better dress and char
ac&er.
In conclusion, the chief speaker,
Mr.. Ansell, said: London has be-
come the visible symbol of the in
domitable spirit of its citizens. 1t
has acquired the significance of an
article of faith. for which men are
prepared to die. Not for England
alone but for the whole Common
wealth of Nations, London is the
focal point of civic pride and affec-
tion. Hence the determination that,
however extensive the destruction
may yet become, the opportunity,
SO tragically created, for the build
ing of better, more convenient
and more beautiful city, shall not
this tine be lost"
Rebuilding London
More than two years have passed
since this epoch-marking meeting
was held, since when many more
bombs have fallen on London. but
the work of rebuilding a better and
nobler city has gone on. A plan
has been drawn up by special COM
mittee consisting of Sir Edwin Lut-
yens, Sir Charles Bressy and other
outstanding authorities and sub
mitted for the consideration of the
public, through exhibition under the
auspices OF the Royal Academy. in
Burlington House, London.
Illustrations of the plans, as tenta-
lively shown, were published in a
recent issue Of the Magazine of Art,
the ofiicial organ Of the American
Federation of Arts. Sir Edwin Lut-
yens, president of the Royal Acad-
emy, is. it will be remembered, the
architect of the British Embassy
here in Washington, which in matter
of design is a rather remarkable
combination of the two extremes
the classical and the modern. This
is to an extent true of his commit
tees London plan, which after all,
however, is, it must be remembered,
purely tentative. All good art is
congenial, but newness must bubble
up spontaneously from deep springs,
If 1t is to become. as time passes
living water-spirit as we'll as sub
stance.
The finest and most livable cities
of our Western World are those that
have grown gradually, generation
after generation, taking part in the
creative work A city in which many
persons live is as background to
life, providing for convenience, it
must also touch the heart by appeal
to the eye. With shiver of appre-
hension one hears, through advocates
of modernism, the suggestion of
"streamlined London" which will re-
place that of Wren's.
But surely this world outrage
could never befall. Londoners from
the crossing policemen to leaders in
national affairs would not tolerate it.
What Mr.. Ansell described as the
"unadventurous horizontal alter
ations of concrete and glass" put
forth as the sum and substance of
popular modernism, are but phase
of distortion ignorantly substituted
for originality. Affording shock and
amusement for the moment, their
novelty soon wears thin. 1t is not
merely the older school which will
repudiate them, but also the younger
schools, today in the making. In all
probability the London of tomorrow
will be replanned and rebuilt by the
men who come back from the war,
yearning not for more shocks but
for beauty, its serenity and lasting
inspiration.
The Washinefon Plan
We in Washington know what 1t is
to live in a city originally planned by
experts with regard both for beauty
and convenience. L'Enfant's plan
for our Capital City is still in ef-
feet, thanks to the commission OF
1900 that recommended its restora-
tion-and also to the Commission
of Fine Arts, appointed by Presi-
dent Taft as an advisorary body
long headed by the late Charles
Moore and now by Gilmore D
Clarke, architect and planner.
Four hundred million dollars has
been asked by Congress to extenc
the plan of Washington to meet the
needs of its vastly increased popula.
ton. We have been mercifully
spared the horrors of bombing, sc
far, but this extension OF the Wash.
.ington plan is likewise looking for.
ward-a rock under our feet insur
inc Logical pro0rasx