"THE CITY BEAUTIFUL"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 204, 23 May 1919, Page 8

"THE CITY BEAUTIFUL"

DEMOCRACIES THE BUILDERS OF TO-DAY EDUCATING THE PUBLIC TASTE . At the Town-planning Conference yestciday Mr. J. f. Mannings (architect to thu Government of Bihar and Oriesa) read a paper upon "Tue City Beautiflli." Mr. Munnings said that he felt that anv agreement as to what constituted Leauty. was impossible of attainment,. and that the city beautiful was Utopian and ideal. It should, however, lie the aim of the people to progreES as far as. ]>'ui>siblo towards it. Generally speaking,, the cily beautiful might bo considered a* the materialised expression of tho cooidwaled and directed efforts of the citizens cowards the common end of renderina our cities more healthy, cleaner to live in. ami more beautiful to look at. In using the word "beautiful" of a city, out was apt to consider it as referring only to the visible parts, such as archituture, streets, parks, clc, and to forgti the lives of the r.eople, of which biMiitv must be the expression if any ad\iince was to be made on the road to the city beautiful. The conditions under which the work of beautification had to be done in New Zealand were- totally diilerent' from those under which the btauly of the Old World had been produced. The majority of the Old World places of beauty, interest, and magnitude had been the work of the Monarch and the Church and wealthy patrons.. The people had had no control of affairSi and had, in fact, too often been, slaves. The great and beautiful works of the past had been the expression of aristocracies: the works uf the present and,the future must be the expression of democracies. It must not be forgot-, ton that democracies must'be prepared, to pay for their works as the aristocracies of old hud done.

If the city beautiful was to be the aim of. tho country, it must, bo an expression of the will and life of the people, and the fundamental problems of education could not therefore be overlooked. For the attainment of beauty, beauty must be studied. Given a demand for beauty, the supply would follow. To cultivate and develop in the people a desire for beauty should bo a main ■consideration,, and every effort should be made to acquaint the people with the beauty spots and beautiful works of the' past.

Tho first essential 6tep towards the goal should be tho consideration of the physical welfare of the citizens, and the provision of parks, open spaces, playingfields, trees, ample water supply, adequate drainage, etc. Already these matters were very much under control, and carefully-framed by-laws regulated all operations connected with them. On the other hand, the external adornmeut of bur cities was too often a matter of individuul caprice, and it would seem desirable that some control by competent authorities should be exercised over it also. , A standard of efficiency in design was already insisted upon for all architects, 'lit was surely just as important that some , standard for builders ehould be insisted upon" also. Tho builder must always remain one of the ereat agencies through which town-planners might hope to achieve their aims.

In New Zealand towns there appeared to be-a great lack of oivic life. 'Our cafes were mere ehops, and as for the hotel br.rs they were impossible. • The idea of introducing cafes with music and other interests might appear fantastic so far as New Zealand towns were concerned; but it was worthy of study, and perhaps if State control of the liquor traffic ever came into force the establishment of cafes as places of amusement, entertainment, and recreation might be thought of. The importance of churches as places of beauty could not bo over-rated; and in the city beautiful the- Church might bo tho climactic expression of city life as a whole.

In the planting of trees, shrubs, etc., lay • great opportunities for beautifying a town. There was often shown, how- v ever, a tendency to over-plant, with the result that (he sun was excluded from .buildings and houses. The monotony,of excessively long avenues ehould Iμ avoided, ami anything iii tho nature of arenues would be best confined to streote running east and west. Tho size that trees and shrubs would eventually attain would have to bo carefully considered before trees or shrubs were planted for beautification purposes. Some control over all city planning and architecture was necessary, and in securing: a controller or director, every effort should bo made to appoint to the post a man of broad culture, of sympathetic nature, capable of sinking his, own personality in the cause of the city; beautiful. Ho eliould bo constantly on , the look-out for talent on the part of those who might have designing work to do, and he should lead rather than drivo them towards one ideal. Mr. Mannings had a number of very interesting slides screened 'to illustrate his paper.