APPENDIX II— THE ZONING SURVEY 



The Commission directed its staff to secure all data essential to a knowl- 

 edge of existing conditions and tendencies, and to an estimate of future 

 growth and development. This data, supplemented by personal inspection 

 on the ground, was used to assist the expert knowledge and experienced 

 judgment of the members of the Commission in laying down the actual 

 district boundaries and the regulations to be enforced therein. 



It was essential that the data collected should be both detailed and 

 comprehensive. There must be detailed information in relation to the 

 buildings and physical characteristics and immediate environment of every 

 individual block and also comprehensive or bird's eye views of the entire 

 borough or city. The comprehensive view is indispensable to the determina- 

 tion of the number and characteristics of the various kinds of districts to 

 be established and also for the determination in a general way of the logical 

 boundaries for such districts. The detailed examination street by street and 

 block by block is necessary to determine the exact boundaries and also to 

 determine whether there is need for the exemption of certain small areas 

 within the boundaries of a larger district. 



Topographic features 



Especially in the undeveloped areas, the existing lay of the land, the 

 rivers, hills, valleys, marshes, highways, railroads and other physical 

 features, give the best indication of the probable future use of the land. 

 The topographic and hydrographic charts of the national government were 

 used, as were also the more detailed topographic and grade maps prepared 

 by the topographic bureaus of the boroughs. From these a map was pre- 

 pared showing by colors the grade percentage in each street. Twenty- 

 foot contour lines were also drawn covering practically the entire city with 

 the exception of the Borough of Richmond. 



A steep street grade will often mark the boundary line between different 

 kinds of use or between different types of the same kind of use. It often 

 serves to separate the waterfront industrial or warehouse use from a busi- 

 ness or residential use or a business use from a residential use. A study of 

 the grades is helpful in determining the future traffic streets and hence the 

 future business streets. Steep grades in certain sections make it reasonably 

 certain that they will be used for residential purposes — they are unfitted for 

 either business or industry. 



A bird's eye view of any city discloses the fact that industry of the 

 heavier type seeks the waterfront and lower levels. Cheap transportation, 

 and sometimes also cheap land, are the attractions that bring the heavy 

 industries to the low levels. The railroads follow the low levels in passing 

 through the city, and the waterfront, as the place at which rail and water 

 transportation meets, naturally has the best terminal facilities. Low-lying 



