284 



LANDSCAPE DESIGN 



Subsurface 

 Utilities 



Street Widths 



hills are small and steep and variously sloped, an irregular system of 

 curving roads, taking advantage of the topography, will be not only more 

 appropriate and more beautiful but almost certainly much cheaper. 

 (See Drawing XXXIII, opp. p. 280.) 



In any case, the roads should lie as nearly as possible upon the 

 natural surface. Where a road runs along a hillside it should be re- 

 membered that it is commonly considered a disadvantage to go down 

 into a lot from the road. The road should therefore, if possible, be 

 kept back from the brows of steeper declivities so that there may be 

 room for houses at the level of the road between the road and the down 

 slope without any great amount of fill. A moderate sinking of the 

 road below the lot is desirable. Any considerable sinking of the road, 

 entailing a steep bank, is expensive in future lot development, particu- 

 larly in provision for access by automobile. Of course if the roads 

 are far enough apart to give separate lots larger than an acre or so, these 

 considerations of relative elevation have less effect, because they may 

 perhaps be overcome by proper location of private drives and planting. 



In determining the gradient and location of the roads, it is necessary 

 also to consider the surface drainage of the lots into the road gutters, 

 the drainage of these gutters to the catch basins, and the running of the 

 drainage from these catch basins, either in a separate system or com- 

 bined with the sewage from the houses, to some point of ultimate dis- 

 posal or connection with the city system. As these pipes normally run 

 under the roads, it would be an ideal arrangement from this point of 

 view if they might run everywhere with the gradient of the road to where 

 they left the property, thus minimizing the amount of trench-digging 

 or encroachment upon land devoted to lots. The ideal location for 

 telephone and electric light wires in a residential subdivision is in under- 

 ground conduits, but it is an expensive proceeding to put all wires 

 underground, and often all that can reasonably be done is to put all the 

 wires on poles running along the back lines of the lots, the poles being 

 located to be as little conspicuous as possible, and the private wires 

 running to the backs of the houses, or underground when otherwise they 

 would be especially conspicuous. 



In almost all towns and cities there are certain definite requirements 

 as to road width and gradient and construction which must be complied 



