The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-04-06
Postwar Planning


we've read on postwar planning among North
Cardinals communities is that recently made
public by George B. McGehee, member of
the state Institute of Government. In dealing
with the general program, he shows the great
need of worthwhile public projects that will
arise following the war and how they must
be utilized to provide employment for the
returning servicemen.
Today's postwar plans of several cities are
of Wilnington's efforts may be considered
quite complimentary.
Here he points out, our community's prob
lens are somewhat different, and greater,
than others in that we must provide employ
ment for a population swelled by war far
beyond the point the city's peacetime indus
try can support. Wilmington, he continues, is
seeking development of plan tailored to the
community's special needs-not a business
mans plan, a laboring mans plan, church
mans plan or a social dreamer's plan, but
one that will solve the greatest problems that
the city has ever faced.
Dividing our program into committee Sec
tons we have: Cd Housing (2) EMPLOYMENT
(3) Port az Resort (5) Industry CO. Zoning
Cd Parks and Fairgrounds - Transporter
ton and (9) Inter-racial problems have been
set up.
The Public Works proposed are: Cd 80O0,-
O0c gallon sewage disposal plant (2) 5000
gallon water reservoir, 60 paving of streets
and roads, az city auditorium and armory
60 2OO-ton capacity incinerator, arid CO.
DEVELOPMENT of park and recreation pro-
gram.
The most interesting portion of the Whining
ton plan deals with industrial development
planning such as: ID port development ca
additional industries interested in the advan-
tages Of communications by sea and canal
available at Wilmington, and 60 development
of a great agricultural industry in the eastern
portion of the state to use Wilrnington's port
! facilities.
i While Durham and Charlotte are cities with
lines of economic development well estab-
lshed, Wilmington must seek out and estab-
lsh new lines of economic development That
is why in the Wilmington plan we see an
effort to build in the coastal plain behind
the port great agricultural industry to use
the port facilities. Other lines of economic
development are being explored with the aim
of building around this wartime port pro-
ductive peacetime economy.
Wilmington has recently formed a City
| Planning Board under the terms of the gen.
eral statute pertaining to city planning boards.
It is well to observe that this board is in
/ addition to the City-County Postwar Planning
Committee. This action by the City OF Will
mington draws attention to the fact that a
planning committee is an advisory body for
the study of overall planning measures. Such
an advisory body needs other links In the
chain of planning to carry planning conceived
within its committees to the point OF effec-
tive action. These links must be forged and
/ planners must see to it that the chain when
finally wrought lacks no links and possesses
no weak ones 1t has been suggested that
each city government needs permanent plan
ming organ as part of its official family to
/ bring about continuous and coordinated sound
ly rooted planning and action for the physical
development of the city. 1t has likewise been
suggested that, even if a full-tlme or part
time office for city planning were set up, 1t
could hardly be effective if zoning board
could override its plans. Therefore, We may
conclude that the Indignation of the planning
advice and planning action will require care
in developing chain of authority to produce
effective results.
In the final analysis, local governments
must carry out their own planning action,
lust as in the final analysis each industry
and each business must carry out its own
planning action. Planning committees, how
ever, are the generating force necessary to
start the machinery and essential to its con-
tinuing performance. ----- e---------,~--~~.-