PLANNING A TOWN.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17687, 16 April 1929, Page 8

PLANNING A TOWN.

NEVER TOO LATE. SOME ADVANTAGES OUTLINED. WASTAGE IN NEW ZEALAND. Some reasons why town planning should be adopted by communities were given to an audience of about 60 people at the Hamilton Town Hall last night by. the Director of Town Planning, Mr J. W. Mawson. His W orship the Mayor (Mr J. R. Fow) occupied the chair. Mr Mawson siid that ever since he arrived in New Zealand he had been asked the question: “Have you been to Hamilton yet?’’ or if he had discussed some particular phase of town planning, the question inevitably arose: “Have you seen Hamilton?” (Laughter.) He therefore had looked forward with a great deal of pleasure to his visit here, and he felt that he might take away from the town more than be had brought.

The speaker said there appeared to be a fundamental misconception in the public mind of what town planning was. One of the misconceptions was that town planning was a new thing. Ever since man left the leaves in the caves, however, he had been planning his towns. There - were actual records of planned towns long before the Pyramids were built. These towns had water services, some of which were in use to-day, street lighting, fire brigades, and other public services. In fact, so far as town planning was concerned, the world seemed to have gone back.

During the past ten years there had, he said, been a remarkable growth in the boroughs of New Zealand where the population was 10,000 and over. The gross debt of the boroughs had increased from £11,600,000 to £27,600,000 in that period. Of this sum, £19,000,000 was represented by roads and services. The rates had grown in the same period from £2 9s Sd to £4 2s lid per head of population. Maintenance and construction charges for boroughs had increased from £2,492,000 to £7,740,000. The sad thing was that this huge municipal expenditure had been haphazard, and not spent according to any preconceived plan. Doubtless, if the position were analysed, it would he found that a large portion of the money had been spent on services that were already obsolete. It was considered by many people that it was too late to commence town planning in New Zealand, as all the buildings were erected. Towns were, however, constantly changing. They were living organisms' that could he moulded to anything the authorities chose. He pointed out that London, in the past twenty years, had been almost completely rebuilt. It was, in fact, never too early to plan a town and never too late to rc-plan it.

Community of Interest. Referring to Hamilton, the speaker said there was such a community of interest between the town and the suburban areas that it would be unwise to prepare a town planning scheme of the town alone. Any scheme drawn up should be a regional one to embrace any area which came under the sphere of influence of Hamilton. It may he that a regional scheme should" be prepared for the whole of the Waikato. Matters of economic and social interest should be Predetermined and settled by mutual agreement, in order to bring about a united policy of local development for the whole district. Then, and not until then, should the boroughs or other urban communities attempt to prepare separate town planning schemes.

In zoning a town, Ihc character of the place should be considered. Its character was usually determined by the nature of its industries—the industries that already existed, and those likely to spring up. Hamilton was the shopping centre of a wide and rich dairying district. Retail trading, therefore, probably formed its chief industry, and proper facilities for the efficient and economic carrying on of this, and any other industries for which the town was set aside, should be provided. Secondly, they must zone for residential purposes, and thirdly for business. Having determined" the zones, the next step was to knit the various areas by an efficient roading system. Mr Mawson said that In travelling about New Zealand he had been struck by the appalling economic waste owing to streets being too wide. The street fronlagc area per head of Population in Dominion boroughs was just about double what it should be. In addition to the tremendous expenditure of money on construction and upkeep ibis entailed, there were miles and miles of vacant sections kept idle. By town planning we could secure the maximum of fresli air and light in all our houses. In planning for recreation the areas set aside should bear a proper relationship to the population they were to serve. A considerable amount of research work had been done in Britain and America to ascertain what Ihc proper proportion was, and both countries were practically at one in deciding that the proper proportion was a minimum of live acres to every 1000 people. Of the live acres, 1A acres should lie set aside for park, 2i acres for active recreation, and 1 X acres for a children’s playground. The speaker dealt with Hie matter of compensation, and then proceeded to outline the broad principles of town planning and the legislation relating thereto.

Basis of True Land Values. In answer lo a question by Mr F. A. de la Mare, the speaker said that by fixing the maximum intensity of use of a certain area, in effect the maximum earning capacity of the area was determined. True land values could only he based upon the earning capacity of any given piece of land and to that extent land speculation would he stopped. By defining the use of an area the element of uncertainty which gave rise to speculation was eliminated.

Mr Fow asked what the position would be where a person desirous of starting a factory found the lanr I within the area zoned for industrial purposes too dear. Was there' not Ihe possibility of speculators getting in and buying up the land in the industrial area?

Mr Mawson said it had been shown In practice that the industrial area was usually so defined as lo allow ample development of industry. The land need not necessarily remain idle while awaiting the arrival of industry. It could he used for residential purposes in the meantime. The authorities would, in zoring their towns, see to it

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that ample provision was made In this respect. He agreed with Mr Harold Edgecumbe, a member of the audience that the zoning on the principle of a circle divided by radial lines, which allowed for outward expansion of industrial, business and residential areas was quite practicable. The speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his address.