1 8 The Annals of the American Academy 



appointed to suggest improvements in street systems. Suburban 

 owners are beginning to consider the wisdom, "from the financial 

 point of view, of making the lines of their streets follow the contour 

 of the ground, and when that consideration is begun, the question 

 of the wisdom of the entire city plan is brought to the front. 



The planning of the direction of city streets, of their width, and 

 of their grades, determines fundamentally the possibilities of a city's 

 development, both with reference to its attractiveness and to its 

 adaptability for the transaction of business. The city of the future 

 will depend for its pre-eminence upon the ease of inter-communica- 

 tion between its different sections. 



Inter-communication can be greatly facilitated or greatly hin- 

 dered by the way the streets are laid out. Consider New York. Its 

 underground system of rapid transit was necessitated largely by the 

 scarcity of streets running north and south, and New York City 

 has paid roundly in dollars and cents for that mistake, while its 

 citizens, particularly its clerks and stenographers, have suffered 

 every morning and night for a decade because of the congestion 

 caused in large part by a street system unintelligently planned. 

 Consider, on the other hand, Washington. Its street system is di- 

 rectly responsible for its attractiveness and for the promise of 

 greater attractiveness in the future. Consider Philadelphia. Its 

 system of rectangular blocks materially interferes with transit and 

 causes a monotonous architectural effect. As has been said, it com- 

 pels the citizen to run his latitude and longitude generally, instead 

 of taking a direct or diagonal route. It is curious how we strain 

 at a gnat and swallow a camel in city making. Recently the Mayor 

 of Philadelphia suggested a fountain for the centre of the City Hall 

 court-yard, which would compel a slight detour. There has already 

 been opposition because of this detour, and yet the enormous detours 

 compelled by the street system are passed over in silence; if atten- 

 tion is called to the matter, the right of property owners to lay 

 streets so as to erect the greatest number of buildings is declared 

 paramount. This is recognized in Germany where alternative plans 

 have frequently been presented, showing a scheme of streets both 

 with and without regard to these demands of individuals ("A ohne, 

 B mit Berilcksichtigung der Eigentumsgrenzen"}. The Germans 

 frankly accept the necessity of deciding between the interests of the 

 real estate operators and those of the community between the inter- 



[220! 



