TOWN DEFECTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 81, 5 April 1919, Page 4

TOWN DEFECTS

UNECONOmIcaEt P'£aNS. Haying completed a-tour of the principal towns'and cities 6f the North r 3s* ,Mr Hurst Seagar, honorary organiser of the Town-Planning Conference, was asked :by. :a"vPoßt itepbrterMto say what were the principal faults noticed in the places he, visited.’.. “Undoubtedly, the most general fault,” said Mr Seagar, “is that of long, straight streets at right angles to each other; but that has arisen in consequence of the law. In a place like New Plymouth, where you, have undulating land, you still have straight streota. instead of roads following the contour of the land, .generally,) rthe roads; are 7 too broad ,in ‘ the residential quarters, ’ and not broad enough in the business parts. The 66ft. roadway in the residential .Quarter detracts from the cosiness and Comfort and beauty which the narrower street would give. There has been no absolute need for this; for though the law specifies a 66ft.; .street, it does not ipean that the 'Actual roadway -should in all cases be 66ft., so long as the building lines , ,' a chain apart. If toe roadway were formed for a narrowspace, there would be an area available for tree-planting, grass plots, etc., which would add greatly to. the ap-; pearance of the street. In many pla- j ces, such, ...as., Napier, Wa/ngarjui, and ! Auckland, they are how doing this* but | in some other towns they have not I done as much as. they might -have. ” | To most people' who , had: seen city beautification in operation abroad, one oithe most striking things in our towns _was th« f -extrAordinary riot of disfiguring signs. The idea of a gallery of civic honour in the town-plan-ning showing the impppve,.ent when a disfiguring sign was removed, appealed very strongly to people itr'all towns. . Speaking ,of , - the evils , arising from haphazard growth and .afioxnjrnon. tq ~.alr i most all towns .* he visited?* Mr SeAgar • mentioned the overcrowding which was I to be found in residential quarter's, and the uneconomical disposition of ! warehouses and factories in the business quarter. Care had not ■ been taken to see, that these business premises,; ; had 5 » proper relationship .to o Vhq' means ,of transit. At the conference it was proposed to show the value that resulted

from “zoning,” A fundamental. prim ciple- in all town-planning schemes was that industries placed .a? to enable them to be conducted most economically, having regard to the means of transit, etc., thus reducing the cost, of-production. This has not been thought, pf, , Mr .Hurst Seagar praised the work whicn was being done in Auckland in congested arena , by re-forming,; planting Sjrees, and providing open spabes. Napier also was making great enieavoups and, undertaking an extensive tystem of tree-planting. In all towns, *me greatest interest has jeen taken in the town-planning conerence and exhibition. 5 Town-planning issociations -have been, formed in most )f the North Island towns, and. the ,lp;al Bodies have shown themselves very yillmg to send delegates to the confermce and to supply phonographs for the ‘xhimhon. There will probably be between 300 and 400 delegates at the ?onfeience. No limit is placed on the lumber of delegates that may be sent, is it is particularly desired, to 'have the presence of the executive officers of -he local bodies as well as the Mayors mu representatives of the councils.