Survey of City and Regional Planning in the United States, 1925. Symposium: Extent of Powers of Planning Boards Comment by G. B. Ford, A. Bettman, A. A. Shurtleff, T. Adams, E. M. Bassett, E. P. Goodrich, A. C. Comey, B. A. Haldeman, H. Bartholomew, J. A. Walker, and E. A. Zoning Roundtable:-Scope of Variances-Impregnable New York Decisions. Institute News:- National Conference Program-Institute Meeting, January TH By JOHN NOLEN HERE are two main divisions of city planning directly connected with the better distribution of population: one is the replanning and rebuilding of existing towns and cities; the other is the layingout and construction of new communities, either what are known as "Satellites"* of existing cities or complete and separate new towns in new locations,—what is termed in England “a Garden City".** New communities are constantly coming into existence, either casually or deliberately. The main point of the town planning movement so far as new communities are concerned, is to make action more deliberate, to plan and build new towns and cities by intention, with knowledge and skill and understanding. In this respect the problem is different from the replanning of existing cities. It need not be approached so conservatively. These new towns should express new standards and new ideals, and be an attempt to meet in new ways the modern conditions of life and the peculiar opportunities that these conditions offer. *"By a satellite town is therefore meant a town in the full sense of the word, a distinct civic unit with its own corporate life, possessing the economic, social and cultural characteristics of a town in these present times, and, while still maintaining its own identity, in some sort of relation of dependence upon a great city. The term does not mean a village, because a village is essentially not a town; neither does it mean a suburb or any form of community which is absorbed, or in process of absorption, into another community. The word "satellite" is used in a pseudo-astronomical sense: that is to say, of a body that is under the influence of a more powerful body, but physically distinct."-From "The Building of Satellite Towns" by C. B. Purdom. **A Garden City is a town planned for industry and healthy living; of a size that makes possible a full measure of social life, but not larger; surrounded by a permanent belt of rural land; the whole of the land being in public ownership or held in trust for the community."-"Town Theory and Practice" by C. B. Purdom. The question is not whether our effort shall be given either to the replanning of existing cities or to the laying-out of new communities. If there is to be a better distribution of population both of these solutions must be employed and must both go on concurrently. There are illustrations of dead cities, of cities that have ceased to be, but the civilizations that these cities represented have gone with them. And there are also illustrations of cities that through changes in industrial, economic or other conditions have become less important. This is the case with mining towns. But existing cities, generally speaking, are permanent and will remain permanent through the ages. Existing cities are not only permanent in the fact that they continue to exist, but they are largely unchangeable in all their main features. A review of the form of cities in this country or in other countries will bring to mind the comparatively small changes that have taken place in them. Consider how little change is made in the plan of a city even when a great conflagration, earthquake, or flood occurs, sweeping all buildings and improvements from the land. London, San Francisco, Baltimore, Galveston and Dayton are examples. Furthermore, a review of American cities for the last twenty-five years, during the period of most active modern city planning work, will show that notwithstanding substantial changes and fine achievement in many directions, the form of these cities remains much the same. A study of Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit, or of other cities that have a record of vigorous progress in modern city planning, would illustrate the point that even under the most favorable circumstances the replanning and rebuilding of existing cities must be done in most instances from a conservative point of view. Almost everything else that mankind has produced is periodically destroyed and changed to meet the new conditions. Very little remains even of cities except their general plans, meaning by general plans the location of streets and the distribution of the organic parts of the citythe location of the principal features, both public and private. But these general plans, these principal features remain much as they were originally. It can be demonstrated that old cities are not well adapted to the new conditions and cannot be greatly changed. Why then cannot existing cities be scrapped, if they are so unsuitable for their purposes? The answer is: first, they have certain great advantages of location with reference to harbors or railroads or topography or raw materials or agricultural products, etc.; secondly, the vested interest of individuals and corporations or of the whole body of citizens represents too great an investment of capital in land and improvements. There are two reasons of major importance for building new communities. The first is to take care of new territory which is from time to time opened up; and the second is to meet the new requirements and new standards by new planning. Some of the causes for the opening up of new territory are the following: I. The extension of the railroads and main highways and the construction of new harbors and canals. The transcontinental development and the settlement of the middle west, the northwest, California and the southwest can be traced to this cause. Many of the new towns and cities in Florida also are the result of railroad extensions, especially the Florida Western and Northern (Seaboard Air Line) recently constructed across the state; or of highway extension such as the Dixie Highway and the Tamiami Trail. 2. The occupation of new lands as a result of the discovery of gold or oil or other minerals, or of new agricultural or industrial products, etc. 3. The establishment of new industries due to new inventions such as the automobile, the airplane and the radio. 4. The construction of a series of industrial or manufacturing plants distributed more or less over the whole country, such, for example, as the U. S. Steel, General Electric, various automobile companies, Sears Roebuck, etc. 5. The drainage and irrigation of newly opened lands. The reclamation service of the government, or similar work carried through by |