CHAPTER 5 



THE TOWNSGAPE 



10:30 a.m., Monday, May 24 



The Chairman, Mr. BACON. Those of us who are here together 

 are very conscious of the fact that we are in company of an extremely 

 distinguished group of people. It is not our objective simply to stand 

 here and tell you what ought to be done, but rather, in company 

 with you, to prepare as specific and purposeful recommendations as 

 we can for discussion with the President tomorrow and, through him, 

 with the American people. 



The panel members, in reviewing their task, were impressed and 

 concerned about the magnitude of the problem in cities with which 

 we are attempting to deal and the inadequacies of the resources and 

 manpower that can be brought to bear in connection with it. 



At the same time, I would like to say, as a man who is rooted deeply 

 in a local situation, that already the President's Message on Natural 

 Beauty and the fact of the holding of this conference are extremely 

 powerful stimuli to thinking at the level of the city government. 



Mayor Tate called me to his office in City Hall in Philadelphia on 

 Friday and told me that, in addition to the special committee which 

 he is in the process of setting up for the explicit purpose of carrying 

 into action the concept of the President's message, and in addition to 

 the specific program for the planting of trees along the banks of the 

 river for the beautification of the part of Philadelphia which is seen 

 by everybody, he had decided to ask the Fairmount Park Commission 

 immediately to institute a program for the planting of 2,000 street 

 trees in the 12 Community Action Council areas of the antipoverty 

 program. 



Members of the Panel on The Townscape were Edmund Bacon 

 (Chairman), Garrett Eckbo, Gordon Gray, Frederick Gutheim, 

 Calvin Hamilton, Mrs. Fred Mauntel, William Slayton, and Karel 

 Yasko. Staff Associate was David Carlson. 



779-595 



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