Evening star., 1962-01-26
Excitement Downtown

be scrupulously avoided by those plan
ming the rehabilitation Of downtown
Washington were not only the danger
Of over-conservatism, but the equally
disastrous temptation to produce plan
so visionary and drastic as to be i'm
practical. The "action plan" prepared
by Downtown Progress, and unveiled
to the public yesterday, negotiates this
tightrope with admirable deXterity. It
is compliment to both the business
leaders and the professional planners
who drafted the plan that it has ex-
citing and dramatic facets, without
succumbing to the never-never-land
school Of planning which has doomed
similar endeavors in other cities.
The job Of making the downtown
shopping district primarily pedestrian
preserve, for example, is accomplished
largely within existing street patterns,
without building grandiose malls or at
tempting to wholly exclude automo-
bileS. The system Of small buses pro-
posed to provide internal circulation is
imaginative, yet modest. Fortunately,
moreover, this planning was done in
full and open spirit Of consultation
with all of the appropriate public and
private agencies, so that presumably
there already is wide area of agree
ment on its conclusions. r..
Nevertheless the question of pre-
cisely how the plan should be imple-
mented is somewhat obscure. In our
opinion, the most pressing requirement
is for the Commissioners to determine
officially whether they will support
the concept of the plan, or whether
it needs to be modified. Once this is
decided, they should proceed without
delay to reach decisions on the spe-
cific proposals.
Engineer Commissioner Clarke al
ready has taken a step in this direction
by promising to hold public hearings
soon on the thoroughly sensible system
Of one-way streets proposed In the plan.
This is one Of several of the proposals
which can and should be accom-
plished with relative ease. Others, such
as changes in zoning and the construc-
ton of major automotive underpasses
downtown, will require more study. The
important thing, however, is that ma
chinery be set up at an early date to
bring about continuing series of
decisions.
There are other problems, too. The
Downtown Progress studies confirm the
need for effective rapid transit, for
without such system it is hard to
see how downtown parking needs could
. be held to manageable levels. Clearance
must be given to the so-called center
leg Of the inner-loop freeway system,
which is essential both to serve the
area by auto and to provide a bypass
of downtown. streets for through traffic.
: Congress must amend the, District ur-
ban renewal statute, to remove any
I doubt about the eligibility Of downtown
projects ito receive Federal aid. Beyond
the inner r-toop and rapid transit sys-
tens, the public improvements required
by the new downtown plan would cost
about $S3 million. 49,
All Of this amounts to formida-
BILE challenge. But the opportunities
which are foreseen In the Downtown
Progress report, the vitality and growth
which can occur II proper environ
ment is provided, are simply enormous.
The choice is between downtown
area which, left to its own devices, will a
wither and decline, and one where the
full potentialities for community benefit