22 LANDS AND SURVEYS 



regard to wealth, culture, nationality, age, sex, density of 

 population, etc. Drives, parkways and boulevards will 

 principally benefit the wealthy. A fine landscape, beauti- 

 ful architecture and opportunities for nature study meet the 

 cultural requirements. The inherited traits of people of 

 different national extraction should be regarded. The 

 matter of age must also be carefully considered; while 

 the older person will generally expect opportunities for 

 quiet and rest, children and young people will need play- 

 grounds and athletic fields. It may here be said that the 

 playground movement has recently assumed enormous 

 proportions as one of the best opportunities for civic im- 

 provement. The child should have his swing, sand box 

 and wading pool ; the young woman her tennis court, and 

 the young man his baseball field and out-of-door gymna- 

 sium. Wher,e the population is dense, the park would seem 

 to be the only solution of the pressing problem of rest, 

 recreation and amusement. 



5. It is a fact well known to experts that lands which 

 are poor from the point of view of the real estate operator 

 are often the best for park development. Low and swampy 

 lands which are usually festering spots in cities are among 

 this class. A very good illustration of what is meant by 

 this paragraph is found at Philadelphia, where portions of 

 the Tacony, Pennypack and Cobbs Creek valleys are now 

 on the city plan to be used for park purposes. These 

 valleys are narrow and deep. If laid out in city blocks, 

 the grade of the cross streets would be about that of the 

 sides of the valleys. An enormous amount of filling would 

 thus be required, the cost of which would have to be 

 borne by the city. The cost of this filling alone would be 

 more than the purchase price of the tracts for park pur- 

 poses. 



