Evening star., 1950-05-13
Truman Asks
50-Year Plan ,
For Washington
National Planning
Conference Told of
Duty to Future

ours is the duty to look for
ward so years to insure the ade.
) quacy and beauty of Metropolitan
Washington in the year 1000,
said a message from Mr.. Truman
The delegates took a field triI
{ today to see the problem at frs
hand. The five-day National Citi
zens' Conference on Planning fo
City, State and Nation opened
yesterday at the Hotel Statler. 1
! is under the auspices of the Amer
ican Planning and Civic Associa.
{ tion and the American institute
/ of Planners.
j An all-day tour of the Wash.
. tngtor region, under the sponsor.
! ship OF planning, housing anc
park officials, was on today's pro.
gram. This included luncheon al
National Airport, a reception al
Calvert Mansion, Prince Georges
County headquarters of the Mary
land-National Capitol Park and
Planning Commission, and dinner
at the University of Maryland
To See City at Night.
A visit to the Washington
Monument to see the city by night
and look at the lighted cas-
d cades in Meridian Hill Park will
round out today's activities.
President Truman sent this mes
sage to Maj. Gen. U. S. Grant, Sd
association president:
I'm this Sesquicentennial year
Of the establishment of the Ma
tional Capital in the District o1
Columbia, it is particularly fitting
that all of us interested in the
orderly development of Washing
ton give careful thought to a pro-
gram to safeguard the future
Our Capital City came into beine
under plans of the far-seeing
L'Enfant.
THE Mcmillan plan at the turr
OF the century provided neces-
sary safeguards for another gen.
Grafton. Ours is the duty to lool
> forward so years to insure the
adequacy and beauty of Metropol-
itan Washington in the veal
r 1000.
I'm sending hearty greetings tt
the conference arranged by the
American Planning and Civic AS
sociation and its cooperating
bodies, may I express the hope
that its deliberations may be
guided by wisdom. foresight and g
true appreciation of the needs oi
the future"
: Regional Plan Urged.
Yesterday afternoons session al
the Hotel Statler focused atten-
tion on Washington region plan
: ming problems.
A vital. unified program for de.
veloping Metropolitan Washington
aS an urban unit was advocated
by John Nolen, ir., director oi
planning of the National Capita
Park and Planning Commission
He urged a drive for! this FIVE
point program:
A reorganization of his commits
sion, as contemplated by pending
legislation with enlarged men,
bership; planned dispersal of en-
ployment centers to fit into a new
scheme of regional growth;
agreement by planning groups on
size, density and geographical ar
rangement of the urban patterns
which future governmental en-
ployment will induce and sup
port; kinds and extent of Joint
planning controls that will be
needed to achieve this program in
an orderly and progressive manner
and a co-ordinated financial pro-
gram to carry out key parts of
the plan envisioning regional ex-
pressways, airports, water supply,
sewage disposal and buying per-
manent open areas"
Sees 2 Million Population.
Mr.. Nolen told the audience
THE most pressing issue in. the
planning of Washington at the
present moment is the securine
Of more adequate legislation fol
the work of the agency of the
Federal Government responsible
for the planning of its expanding
National Capital" Plans are be.
ing made. he said. for a regiona
population of about 2 million by
1880. He said his commission
plans to issue the first part of its
comprehensive plan by July / fol
development of the Washington
arear.
Creation of Metropolitan
Works Agency was stressed by
Fred w. Tuemmler, director Of
planning. Prince Georges County
Regional Office, Maryland Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission. He said such ar
agency should have power tc
finance with Federal aid and con-
struct through the appropriate
Federal, District of Columbia OF
State agencies those projects of g
regional nature beyond the scope
Or ability of local government OF
OF any one agency to undertake.
Robert Woods Bliss, chairman
of the Joint Committee on the
National Capital. presided at yes.
terday's luncheon that preceded
the Washington regional planning
discussion.
Ralph T. Walker, president
American Institute of Architects
urged no more concentration o.
Federal buildings, such as in tht
Triangle, advocated elimination o.
temporary buildings encroachins
on park property, slum abolition
controls over the growth of thu
suburbs and better planning.
I'm the next so years, I hope tina
some one will have the courage tt
rescue the Lincoln Memorial from
the nasty lush planting arount
the podium of the structure" MI
Walker said. "It certainly ha
L.~n c,@ailoI GU, ,,afI,oroI ~ ~;al,