W e Practice What W e PreachSo a t long l a s t we a r e practicing what we should preach, but w e have l o s t much time, expended much energy i n trying t o p r a c t i c e that which w e d i d preach,not stopping t o analyze what we were preaching but being i n f l uenced by it nevertheless.To-day it i s becoming evident t h a t the phrase should be "slum reclamation, and t h e provision of low-rental housing," and that t h e two parts of t h e phrase have t o do with two d i s t i n c t objectives. Slum reclamation means t h e redevelopment of a slum o r a b l i g h t d area f o r that use which w i l l b e s t serve the neighborhood and t h e community. Very oft e n -t h i s i s not housing of any character or of any cost. Provision of low-rental housing, i f i t i s ever t o be adequate in amount, involves every economy consistent with good housing. This includes inexpensive s i t e s . Slums may o r may not provide inexpensive sites. That depends, among other things, upon t h e character and t h e locsition of t h e slum. Slum Reclamation in the D i s t r i c t of Columbia ~ ~ The distinguishing f e a t u r e of the D i st r i c t of Columbia Alley Dwelling Act ( S O named because t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c slums of t h e National C a p i t a l are inhabited a l l e y s ) is t h a t i t recognizes t h e d i f f e r e n c e between slum reclhmation and the provision of lowr e n t a l housing,and makes slum reclamation its primary objective. There a r e , o r were, approximately two hundred inhabited a l l e y squares in t h e District of Columbia. The Aut h o r i t y was given ten years i n which t o r i d the D i s t r i c t of i t s inhabited a l l e y s . During the first year of its existence t h e Authority has acquired property in fourteen of these squares t h a t contained seventeen inhabited a l l e y s . It proposes t o redevelop them i n a wide v a r i e t y of ways,depending upon neighborhood and community needs. Mr. Conover has suggested an unusual, although not e n t i r e l y new, approach t o c i v i c improvement. Recently, the National Associat i o n of Real E s t a t e Boards has published a scheme f o r neighborhood r e h a b i l i t a t i o n . T h i s past year, Mr. C. B. Whitnall has suggested a reconstruction scheme f o r a blighted area of Milwaukee. These r e h a b i l i t s vieA-schemes w a rrant intensive study.Undoubtedly some c i t i e s , and especially some of the smaller cities, w i l l discontinue t o grow and expand; they may even decrease i n s i z e as some few have.Such c i t i e s may become q u i t e unimportant when measured a s Mr. Conover suggests.Shell we therefore cast them a s i c e as unworthy of consideration? The inhabitants of these communities are often more in need of r e h a b i l i t a t i o n than those of t h e growing community.The determining cons i d e r a t i o n should be, where i s r e h a b i l i t e t i o n needed most. Causes af B l i g h tMr. Conover has sunmarized concisely the most common f a u l t s which u s u a l l y produce b l i ...
OF CITIES 13 ,a town, or a city. Whether it is one or the other of these in some instances might not be clearly defined, but in general we think of villages or towns as having less than 5,000 inhabitants, small cities from 5,000 to 50,000 people, and the medium-sized "ones from~50,000 to 160,000 people.Centers of 100,000 people or more up to 1,000,000 are classed as^arger cities, and the largest are those of 1,000,000 or more. In 1930 New York had almost 7,000,000 people; London had almost 8,000,000. Apparently our ideas of what constitute the largest cities are in a state of flux.Unless newer conceptions of city planning stem the tidal drift toward ever larger centers, or unless people begin to seek homes and places of work in less populated centers, eventually we shall see cities that in size and complexity we scarcely dare allow our imaginations to picture. We may see before long the era of double-and triple-decked streets and sidewalks, andskyscraper bridges serving other sky-piercing structures, and all forms of subsurface, surface, and supersurface types of transportation, teeming and vibrating with the motion of a hurried people, or we may see a changing drift to the open country, with industry decentralized and homes not too far away in the midst of spacious, quiet neighborhoods and close to the kind of recreational beauties that may now be enjoyed in our villages.Even though the larger metropolitan centers may continue to expand, yet they may by good planning be provided with certain advantages that are identified with the smaller communities.Growth in the Cities. The growth of cities in number and in size, already discussed, has been phenomenal, particularly in America. No less important than the extent of growth is the nature of it and the way it takes place within any given city as revealed in an analysis of the plan of that city. According to R. M. Hurd, 1 there are two forms of growth, one of these a clustering around a central point of attraction, as, for example, some kind of business or a residence section. This is known as " central growth." The other, a main general expansion in all directions, takes place along the framework of the city, along its water couTBesrits arteries of traffic, its turnpikes and railroads. This growth is the result of transportation and is based on accessibility.We call it "axial growth."The causes for the expansion of our cities have been and are numerous. -Cities. have grown because of the intellectual 1 "Principles of Land Values." PRINCIPLES OF CITY PLANNING 6. Tell how reports on city planning were produced, planning commissions multiplied, and organizations of all kinds begun to further the ideals of city planning. 7. Who have been the outstanding planners of the past 40 years and what accomplishments may be ascribed to them ? References AGACHE, ALFRED: City Planning in the United States, City Planning,
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