Table Of ContentCITIES IN ACTION
by
Eugene Van Cleef
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08 015622 3 (hard)
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To men and women everywhere,
all of whom,
to some extent,
basically are planners.
PREFACE
ONLY RECENTLY have the American people appreciated the
fact that the nation's transformation from a rural to an urban
society is a reality. We have not prepared adequately for this
critical change and thus find ourselves confronted with numer
ous frustrating problems. This book is addressed to those who
desire some information relative to cities in action but do not
have the time to engage in extended research on their own.
Out of our confusion has come at least one major good. We
have learned that if we wish to surround ourselves with a truly
livable atmosphere we must employ the same scientific approach
to the solution of the problems associated with densely popu
lated centers that we have to our technological activities. This
means we must substitute for a laissez-faire attitude, city
planning.
In this small book we have attempted to point out in simple
terms many of the major problems associated with planning and
to suggest how planning has helped to bring about understand
ing in human relations and checked, in part at least, the stifling
of progress. Obviously, in the limited space available, it is not
possible to present an extended detailed technical discussion of
all the various facets of urban planning. We hope the reader of
any one of these brief commentaries will be sufficiently stirred
to read more of them if not all and, in turn, make a contribu
tion to the improvement of life in his own community.
We present each essay as a unit in itself even at the cost of
some repetition. All of the essays together should serve to
provide the essence of the story of planning and urban progress.
XI
Xll CITIES IN ACTION
The sequence of these commentaries is not material to the
understanding of any one.
The title Cities in Action might imply treatment of every
phase of urban life. This is not the case. On the other hand,
because essentially every aspect of urban life can be affected
by planning, we believe the title appropriate to the content.
We wish to acknowledge the influence of our co-workers
and the extensive literature in this field. Ideas expressed,
however, except where otherwise indicated, are based upon
our own direct observations, experiences and judgment.
Sections 1, 3, 11, 24, 39, 40, 42, 50, 63 and 64, appeared
in The Christian Science Monitor (1966) in somewhat modified
form and such statements as are duplicated here are printed
with permission.
The poem entitled "Cities" is reproduced by permission of
Donald S. Nelson, Waverly, Iowa, son of the late composer
who was Executive Secretary of the Beloit Commercial Club,
Beloit, Wisconsin, 1939.
EUGENE VAN CLEEF
Professor Emeritus
Dept. of Geography
Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
CITIES
Cities are built of earth and stone
And wood and glass and steel
And fortitude and gratitude
And industry and zeal.
Cities are built of tact and thought
And pride and hopes and skill
And confidence and tolerance
And unity and will.
Cities are built of faith and love
And time and trials and fears
And kindliness and Godliness
And sacrifice and tears.
However well we build and guard
'Gainst foreign foe and sin,
Our structures cannot long endure
'Gainst treachery from within.
And awesome are the rogues that dwell
Within our guarded gates
In forms of arrogance and greed
And apathy and hates.
We must then in our building plans
Protect 'gainst fatal ills
That crash to earth our cherished hopes
And civic spirit stills.
OSCAR N. NELSON
Xlll
1
A LOOK AT PLANNING
JUST ABOUT everyone plans. We are always deciding upon
what to do next. This is such obvious good sense and so nat
ural, few of us give the matter a second thought. It would
seem that if planning is appropriate for us as individuals it
ought to be good for the city of which we are citizens.
City planning is not to be confused with regimentation. It
takes nothing away from people but rather contributes to their
well-being. Planning is a protective device which provides for
orderly procedure and cooperation among the citizens. Large
numbers of us have chosen to live together in communities we
call cities and recognize that to get along well we must respect
each other's rights. We have joined hands in taxing ourselves
to provide a water supply, police and fire protection services,
a health department, a school system and many other facilities
and never think of this arrangement as regimentation. We have
come to realize that certain beneficial actions can be achieved
only by group action. City planning is essentially a cooperative
way of life. It is also an avenue to effective management.
If we look back over the years and trace the growth of our
cities we find, with rare exceptions, that they have grown hap
hazardly; that guidance was lacking; that many of today's
unsatisfactory conditions could have been avoided and that we
could have saved considerable sums of money through wise
1
2 CITIES IN ACTION
planning. To change the structures of a city today, in some
instances, is financially prohibitive. And yet, we should not
allow the mistakes of the past to set the pattern for the future.
We must apply our intelligence to urban problems in a way
which will assure us of better living conditions during the years
immediately ahead and for those years which future generations
will wish to enjoy.
Much is said these days about the population explosion while
an accompanying explosion is overlooked, namely, that of the
layouts of our cities. The tremendous building boom of recent
years, especially residential, is repeating some of the follies of
the past. It is proceeding either without planning or only a
minimum of planning. And it is placing a burden upon our
children and our grandchildren for which they certainly will not
thank us.
Whenever a community expands physically, referred to today
in some instances as urban sprawl, the new growth must be
supplied with water, electric power, gas, paved streets and the
many other services to which we are accustomed. These must
be paid for; that means taxes, taxes not only for those who are
immediately concerned but for all of the remainder of the
city. Few citizens are aware that, high as taxes may be, residen
tial taxes underwrite only a part of the services received. Gen
eral business and industry pay the greater share. To keep all
of the costs within practicable bounds and to provide for an
orderly expansion, a planning commission supported by a cour
ageous and progressive city council can work wonders.
Most of our larger cities have planning commissions. Unfor
tunately the latter have only an advisory function. They do not
have legal power, with one or two minor exceptions, to enforce
their concepts of what should be done. They are hampered by
numerous selfish interests. Nevertheless, they can be effective as
has been demonstrated in many cities.
A planning commission usually endeavors to draw up a
master or comprehensive plan as a guide to the future. Proper-
A LOOK AT PLANNING 3
ly done, the latter will be flexible in order to make possible
changes when needed. A plan is a portrayal of ideas for the
future. In certain instances it is a suggestion for the remodeling
of parts of a city. Planners see opportunities to renew local
areas in accordance with an overall design. This is the practical
way to proceed. Incidentally, the Department of Housing and
Urban Development of the national government stands ready
to supply financial aid under certain specified conditions.
Planning should be guided by a scientific approach. The
process comprehends more than merely a layout of streets and
avenues. Planning is a humanistic problem and planners must
concern themselves first with the economic and social objectives
of the people. What does the citizenry want? How can their
ambitions be realized? After the functional aspects of the life
of the community are known, the physical factors essential to
their accomplishment can be designed and put into work. Plan
ning can bring about a much higher degree of livability than
can any other procedure while at the same time preserving for
everyone that freedom of action which all of us cherish and
which contributes to the enjoyment of the good life.
2
THE URBAN REVOLUTION
As DECADE has followed decade and we have gone about the
business of "making money" in our effort to improve living
conditions we seem to have been oblivious, until recently, to
the urban revolution which has been in progress. This has
been due in part to the statistical reports emanating from the
U.S. Census Bureau. Its classification of rural and urban popu
lation has been at fault. Perhaps, however, we should not be
too severe with the Bureau because, like the rest of us, it was
caught unawares by the revolution in transportation and the
substitution of so many mechanical devices for former primitive
methods of doing things. These latter factors in a way changed
the distribution of the population and the nature of their
occupations.
As our food production was greatly increased through the
introduction of machinery and the application of scientific
methods to farming, the small farmer was replaced, or rather
displaced, by the large-scale farmer. This meant many small
farmers had to seek new sources of income and the primary
source was found largely in the city. So he migrated, but not
always to the large city. Often he found work in communities
of 2500 or less. These less-than-2500 centers were classified by
the Census Bureau as rural and so it was that the displaced
farmer could still consider himself as belonging to the rural
4
