TOWN-PLANNING.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18673, 23 April 1926, Page 11

TOWN-PLANNING.

ILLUSTRATED LECTURE. MR HURST SEAGER'S ADVOCACY. Under the auspices of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, Mr S. Hurst Seager gave a lantern lecture last evening entitled "Architectural and Town-planning Gleanings from the Old World." He accorded those present a welcome on behalf of the Institute. f?y means or' slides lie explain?.! ihe achievements in town-planning at Lcu-hworth, in the Old Country, While there he had met Mr Kbunezer Howard, pioneer of the garden city scheme. Another prominent figure was Mr Raymond Inwin, who gave artistic expression to Mr Howard's ideas. ■ A plan of the town area of Letchworth was thrown on the screen, and Mr Hurst eeager explained that the city had not been laid out quite on the original plan, because of financial handicaps, but the modification had been only slight. 01.1 trees had been preserved, the conformation of the roads being planned with this object. He was impressed with the curves in the roads, which opened out on beautiful vistas of trees. He contrasted them with the straight streets of Christchurch, to the disadvantage of the latter. Hampstead Garden Suburb was very beautiful, but the eeonomio aspect fcad been overlooked. Scenes from Pasadena, California, and coal-mining districts near Rotterdam, Holland, were shown. No thought had been given to the comfort of the workers in the Black Country at Home, but in Holland townplanning was being carried out on up-to-date lines. Buildings were sometimes constructed across roads, arched ways allowing traffic to pass. Flats in Holland were frequently built in such a way as to give an outlook on to large open 6paces, which were laid out in flowers. It was far better for workers to dwell in such flats than in lowly cottages without modern conveniences. Devastated Areas. Tito transformation accomplished by the French Government in repairing the ravages of the war at Mossines Ridge and other places was illustrated by numerous slides. Building had been overdone, in anticipation of visits from thousands of tourists, the people forgetting that this was a traffic which would decline.year by year. In Ypres, for instance, large hotels had been constructed, with due regard paid to well-laid-out open squares. In Cathedral square we had foolishly allowed traffic to go through, destroying the feeling of repose which was cultivated by enclosing spaces, as was done in centres such as Nancy and Berlin. The Ahtoey. "When at Homo he had been asked to lecture on "Westminster Abbey, and as the Dean was present, ho had felt the necessity of being sure of his statements. The frontage now reproduced the exquisite form and beauty planned by Henry 111. and his artificers. All of the exterior had been rebuilt three or four times, and the only original part of the Abbey was a small section near Poets' Corner. Drawings of the Abbey by Hollar, Dickenson, and others proved _. that great changes had taken place in the building in the 17th and 18th centuries. Amiens Cathedral, of which pictures were shown, was described as the prototype of Westminster. The nave was 120 ft high, and the whole building gave one a feeling of exaltation. , Association Proposed. 'it is my hope," said Mr Hurst, Seager, <'that in every town in New Zealand we shall have a Town-planning] Association, consisting of the organisations which now exist, co-ordinating and co-operating together to form one. strong body, so that the interests _ of; each organisation may be recognised and encouraged by the rest. The object! is to have a delegate from each exist-,' ing organisation to form a Town-plan-ning Association, and each organisation] would then become in a mariner a special committee in charge of one or, other town-planning activities." Mr It. A. Galbraith, City Engineer,; said town-planning was deemed so important in the. Old Country that every ] town with over 20,000 inhabitants was compelled to have a Town-planning Act. South Australia was the only State in Australia which had passed legislation,; but it was sure to come in the other States. . , .

Dr. Chilton also expressed the hope that something practical would be done in the direction outlined by Mr Hurst Seager. At the conclusion of the meeting a resolution, moved by Mr Hurst.Seager, and seconded by the Rev. C. Carr, was carried asking the Beautifying Association to call a conference of all bodies interested with a view to promoting the formation, of an association < on the lines suggested.