Evening star., 1946-11-17
Capital Master Plan
Now Being Drown
Citizens Urged to Study Product
Before Criticizing Ii
By Rudolph Kaufmann II.

r-~s-@-~-ASoA - 5~SA ~ pshAy AAOodNt
Before Criticizing It
By Rudolph Kaufman III.
The National Capital Park and PLAN
ming Commission has found a way to
draft master plan for the future de-
velopment OF the Capital
At its October meeting the commission
disclosed to the press the significant
TACT that 1t can make such plan under
the terms Of the Districts new slum-
clearance and redevelopment law passed
at the last session OF Congress,
As this law Wormed its laborious way
toward passage on Capitol Hill last win
ter and spring few realized that this
was so.
This was largely because public at
tention was focused at the time on
acrimonious debate between public
housing advocates and spokesmen for
private enterprise over. just what eco
nomic level of the population public
housing should reach rather than on
mastery plan provisions of the act.
True, 1t was well known at the time
that the law would give the planning
commission responsibility for drafting
individual slum-clearance and redevel-
opment plans. But the true significance
Of a phrase which enjoined the COM
mission to prepare a comprehensive city
plan, in which the local slum plans could
be fitted, was not Immediately realized.
The commission, however, was fully
aware that the law was a green light
for master planning on q scale hitherto
impossible, although 1t made no COM
ment at the time.
To many 1t may seem strange that
commission appointed to plan the Fed
eral City has been unable heretofore to
make such a plan But, to understand
why this has been so, 1t Is necessary
only to go back to District government
Park and Planning Commissioned
ships. These have been far from rosy.
When the planning commission was
created more than Is years ago, it was
charged by Congress with "the duty OF
preparing, developing and maintaining
ordinated plan for the National Capital
and its environs."
Up until now. however, the commits
sion has had no real opportunity to make
such plan.
1t has made master playground plan,
master highway plan, master plan
for public buildings and others. But
1t has never been able to weld the hun
dreds OF individual maps and studies it
has made into single blueprint for the
city. Y
This has not been for lack of trying.
Almost yearly 1t has asked tie District
Commissioners for money to hire enough
additional help TO make such a plan.
With clocklike regularity the District
Commissioners have refused the request.
1t has tried to have its annual budget
placed under Federal rather than Dis
trict control. To date, this line likewise
has proved unsuccessful.
Last spring District Planning Commits
sion relations hit an all time low as
municipal officials stepped up efforts to
bypass and block the planning COM
mission on the ground 1t was an agency
whose aim was to take District land out
Of taxation.
Now, however, II has become apparent
that the new act goes long way toward
Offering q way out. The planners can
go to Congress with the added authority
1t grants and ask for additional per-
sonnel to draw up the master plan
which must be made before slum pro-
jects are planned.
True. the law deals only with the Dis
trict itself and gives the commission no
additional planning authority In the
Metropolitan Area outside. But the
difficult part Of drafting any metro
politan master blueprint would be plan
ming for the congested District.
The commission has told its newly
appointed city planner to spend the
bulk Of his time getting the plan started.
He, in turn, has issued orders to his
craftsmen to give the plan top priority.
A master map of the District in eight
colors and to scale Of 1000 feet to the
inch is being drawn.
Ia ddiitAol W p1ccc1lk AUtllLs, IL Will
show proposed parks, Fairgrounds,
waterfront projects, highways, under
passes and overpasses, transit lines,
schools, libraries, police stations, Fed
eral and District buildings-in word,
all the projects at present In the cards
for the foreseeable future.
The map will be accompanied by
graphs, charts and descriptive and
analytical material.
The finished product will undoubtedly
meet with criticism from a variety of
sources. But this should be looked upon
as healthy symptom -prima facie evil
dence that washingtonians take a deep
interest in their city and its future
growth.
When the plan is finished it behooves
every citizen to make an effort to study
1t for himself and strive to make his
criticism Of the plan as constructive as
possible.
In this way Washington can truly be
| planned as a better place to work and
live.