Real Estate and Garden Suburbs.

Progress, Volume XV, Issue 1, 1 September 1919, Page 598

Real Estate and Garden Suburbs.

Why it Pays to Town-Plan. Interview-with Hon. H. N. Harwell, M.P., .Australia. By “ Townacre,” in " Architecture.” Does , the existing practice- of subdividing land with straight lines —streets running north and south or east or west —pay the : property-owner best? was the first question I put to the Minister for Townplanning (Hon. 11. N. Harwell, M.P.) p in an interview I had with him recently. . Judging by ■ the manner in which South Australian surveyors cling to checkerboard plans in preference to departing from straight lines and right angles,” he replied, “the answer is clearly in the affirmative. With few exceptions, recent subdivisional plans in the metropolitan area continue to repeat and add to the vast and ever-spreading network of our straight-line streets, that nevclr seem to depart from the four points of the compass, notwithstanding hot northerly or parching easterly winds, and dustclouds of summer, or again searching southerly and westerly blows and storms of winter. Trams and other traffic, moreover, requiring occasional diagonal routes that save time and money,' and facilitate convenience, have no alternative, in these four square districts, to negotiating right angles and dodging corners, thereby Covering at least one-third more distance than the more direct routes would have saved. Expenditures in time, petrol:, tyres, roads, running and maintenboosts in trams and other public services, multi-

ply accordingly without any corresponding increase in revenue to balance the outlay. From the point of view of the. community adherence to checkerboard plans without variation involves waste of public resources and individual wealth. But from the owner’s point of view, the. question may still be pressed, Does it pay best?” Money and Value in Residential Amenities. * “In regard to this,” he continued, “it might be remarked that visitors from old-world cities sometimes condemn our new suburban streets on the score of ugliness. They declare that they are all the samewide, dusty, treeless —without character or charm. Be this true or otherwise, it is obvious that the present practice and methods of subdividing suburban land give but little encouragement to more modern methods that seek to encourage and stimulate prieps and values by securing first-class residential amenity and attractions. There is a special residential value, for instance, which comes from curving or sequestered streets planned deliberately to minimise dust nuisance, and discourage through traffic thereon once vehicular convenience and transportation have been provided for along ■ more direct routes elsewhere. Whatever this value may represent either to the owner or the purchaser, little or no effort has been made to secure and conserve it in our new suburban districts, where ..unfortunately at the present time, no matter what the character of the street, shops, hoardings, garages, galvanised, iron ■ stores, or even, factories can be placed at the sweet will of the owner. Townplanning control by legislation is certainly much required in direction, if for no other reason than to protect properties of established value from depreciation and loss.

"Planning" Pays the Owner.

"If this be a time for economy and conservation, of public resources, then cleanly our methods of subdividing land require reconsideration. Evidence is not wanting to show that where modern methods of 'planning' are substituted in place of 'subdividing' real estate, the owner gains not only in saleable frontage, but the taxpayer is also benefited by. the fact that whilst traffic and communication are better provided for, the community has less length and width of roadway (and public services therein) to construct and maintain, whilst, correspondingly, there are more rateable properties, and therefore more revenue-producing units for the purposes of local government administration. By the occasional use of curves or departures from straight lines it has been, clearly proved that more economic and efficient plans for , residential subdivisions can be provided. Once owners and agents realise this fact, the expenditure of a few pounds extra to cover the time of the surveyor'in laying out the plan on the ground will be willingly incurred for the sake of adding considerably to the revenue obtainable from an increase in selling frontage due to the skilled application of scientific and economic methods .of design. , ■ .