TOWN PLANNING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26902, 14 October 1948, Page 8

TOWN PLANNING

THE SURVEYORS’ PART V'l . ; VALUE OF EXPERIENCE ADDRESS TO CONFERENCE Of all those taking part in town planning, surveyors were the most experienced -in the laying out and devoloping of land, said Mr F. C. Basire, of-the State Housing Department, in the course of an address on the surveyor’s part in town planning to the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors last night. “ Site planning,” he said, was of great lmuortance and in this field lay the greatest contribution which surveyors could make to the common fund of knowledge and experience which went to make up true town planning. . "We surveyors are trained to think and work in two-dimensions length and breadth only. The architect, on the other hand, adds the third dimension of height and this makes him think of his lay out problem, not as a dead thing on paper, but as a living community with its streets and houses, trees and shops pulsing with life, movement and colour. To be really successful we must cultivate this threedimensional approach and try to visualise the finished layout,” said Mr Basire. Traffic roads should be as few as possible from the viewpoints of both cost and amenities. It was also good practice to “ stagger ” the intersections. Suitable widths for circulating streets were between 50 and 60 feet, or in some circumstances, up to 80 feet. ■ Discussing recreation and reserves, Mr Basire said that analyses of landuse established that about seven arid a-half acres per 1000 inhabitants were required to provide for ■ the complete recreational needs of the community. This was only a rough guide, he added, as it might prove inadequate for some towns and excessive for others. To achieve this percentage of open space on New Zealand’s residential density of about 14 persons per acre meant that approximately TO per cent, of the gross area needed to be dedicated or otherwise acquired for public purposes. “ The land needs to be widely distributed, in order that reserves may be available for all reasonably close at hand, particularly young children for whom reserves suitable for playgrounds, from an acre to an acre and a-half in area, should be provided at half-mile centres. Other small centres suitable for tennis courts, bowling greens and the like should also be well distributed on a suburban basis, each suburb having its own major playing field for organised games such as cricket, football and hockey,” he said. ' . . The requirements of local authorities in respect to street widths varied considerably throughout the country, continued Mr Basire. For strictly residential streets the minimum carriageway was generally about 24 feet. For the few vehicles using such streets it seemed senseless to have a carriageway more than 18 feet wide in any street serving less than 50 houses. In traffic circulation streets the required width depended on the expected traffic density and each street had to be taken individually. Here, as with footpaths, there was a great deal of variation and there was room for research and the formulation of standards based on the length and nature of the street, T n the art of site planning there were certain basic principles, said Mr Basire. They were functional design, simplicity, conformity to topography, amenity, and the third dimension. He concluded by stating that he considered that a higher standard of design ability should be required of examination candidates. “If we are to take our proper place shoulder to shoulder with , allied professions we must accept our share of professional representation on town planning committees and boards and to do this effectively we must be well informed on planning matters generally,” Mr Basire’s address was delivered in the lecture room at the Otago Museum. At its conclusion, visiting surveyors were conducted through the Fels Wing by the curator, Dr H. D. Skinner.