SOME PHASES OF TOWN PLANNING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16547, 22 November 1915, Page 7

SOME PHASES OF TOWN PLANNING

LICTURE BY MR D. TANNOCK

Mr D. Tannock delivered a lecture on Friday evening, under the auspiccs of the Dunedin Amenities and Town Planning Society, in the hall at the rear of First Church, to an audience which, though it was small, listened very attentively, and, no doubt, derived benefit from the remarks of the lecturer. The chairman was Mr G. M. Thomson, who said that the society did not exist solely for tho purpose of outlining plans of aasthctio budldnga, towns, and townships, though these were very important. He thought tho society's general work lay in the direction of the amelioration of conditions, the improvement of sanitary regulation'' and anything that tended to make tho ti • us in which wo lived better for the comfort and health of the people. Anything of that kind came within tho scope of the organisation. Mr Tannock said he intended to deal with phases of town-planning with which he was most familiar. He would deal with the garden city from a garden point of view. It was somewhat unfortunate that the engineer and architect should have first say, and that, after they had done, the gardener had to make the place tidy, presentable, and beautiful, and often hide much of tho work of the previous planners. He went on to refer to tho liberal provision made for parks, gardens, and recreation grounds by the original founders of tho city, and said that tho modern planning of tho reclaimed ground near the railway station, and near tho Gardens, was certainly as nearly a reproduction of the slum areas of older towns as wo need desire. He first dealt with private gardens, and said that allotment gardens were quito a feature in both Glasgow and London, and in tho .garden village of Port Sunlight. In Botirnville each house had a garden, and wherever there was vacant land it was used for allotments, which wero eagerly sought after by villagers and outsiders. Two experts wero employed, who devoted all their time to the work. Tho pursuit of gardening was widely recognised as exercising a civilising and refining influence, and they had also to consider its effect upon the physique. Touching on recreation grounds, he said such a provision was a legitimate branch of municipal enterprise. Continuing, ho said that there was no reason why the factories and workshops should not be kept tidy and placed in pleasant surroundings, and it was hoped that, instead of huddling all tho buildings together, spacer, would be provided where the work people could rest during their meal hours, and, if desirable, enjoy some open-air game. Whatever tended to make the workers healthy and -happy would have an effect upon their work. The provision of playing grounds where women and girls were emplo.yod was most essential, both for their physical and moral welfare, Basket ball and croquet lawno did not take up much room, and both games were good for working girls. He next turned his attention to children's playgrounds, the establishment of which he strongly advocated. In the United States it had been found that such grounds had a decided influence in decreasing juvenile delinquencies. It was a child's right to have a place to play -within convenient distance of its home, and a backyard was a poor substitute for lawns, swings, and sand heaps. Amusement was stronger than vice, and it alone could stifle the lust for it. Turning to public parks and gardens, he said their need had early been recognised in Dunedin, and liberal provision had been made by the early settlers, and from thhe to time waste places and odd corners had been seized upon and planted and beautified. It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the work done by the Amenities Society in this connection. Speaking of city squares and gardens, he said it was desirable that at frequent intervals there should be breaks in the buildings and street lines, which would provide opportunities , for establisning beauty spotsplaces with green grass, which would rest the eyes, and provide rest for those weary. Odd comers and parts of steets too steep for traffic afforded considerable opportunity for ornamental shrub-planting, and this form of gardening had. been largely developed in Dunedin. Trees in the streets wero also ■touched upon, and in this connection Mr Tannock said that a modern, progressive city possessed three assets —its industries, its commerce, and its appearance. The planting of trees was part of the necessary work of town-planners, and in some instances the trees were planted far ahead of the building, so that, by the time the -house was erected, the trees_ were well-established. It was hardly fair to the trees to plant them in square holes in. the footpath and expect them to grow, and it was a mistake to plant trees that had not been properly grown and frequently shifted, to enable them to stand the final shift. Trees did not need to grow large to be effective, and it was not intended to reproduce a forest in a street. All they were required to do was to hide the monotonous rows of houses and front fences, and give a cool and restful appearance to the streets. They acted as breakwinds and dust arresters. In every case deciduous trees should be planted, preference being given to those that flowered, and he saw no reason why fruit trees should not be used. Mr Tannock's remarks wero largely illustrated by lantern views, principally of Bournville, Port Sunlight, and Kew Gardens. At the. conclusion of the lecture a very hearty vote of, thanks was passed to Mr Tannock for h ; s interesting address on the motion of Mr R. Gilkison.