COMMUNITY PLANNING

Evening Star, Issue 22142, 24 September 1935, Page 2

COMMUNITY PLANNING

EXPERIMENT IN FRANCE HOUSING AND SERVICES COMBINED An interesting experiment of planning upon communal lines in the town of Villeurhanne, to the east of Lyons in France, was referred to by Mr J. H. White in the course of a survey of some recent developments in town planning given to members of the Town Planning branch of the Otago Institute, last week.' It was found, said Mr White, that the existing town hall, although only 25 years old, was too small and the centre of population of the town had drifted away from it. Honking accommodation was also found to be dear, and what was available was bad. It was, therefore, decided to combine the wants of the community into one large scheme —combining a new town hall, civic centre, community recneation and social centre building, and apartment housing scheme. The result was certainly arresting.

The community recreation and social centre building consisted of a high central block and two lower wings. The central block contained a large restaurant, a theatre of 1,800 seats and a swimming pool. The east wing was given to various departments of social hygiene. These comprised such units as a general bureau of hygiene, an anti-tuberculosis dispensary, laboratory, and X-ray departments, pre-natal clinic, nursing mother’s clinic, and a medical instruction dispensary. In addition there was a large lecture room equipped with projection apparatus for public health lectures, "

The west wing contained club rooms of local societies of all kinds • co-opera-tive, artistic, political, and athletic. All had separate workrooms and meeting rooms. The town hall contained the usual offices ; and in addition the library, and,in the tower were several small rooms arranged as a local museum.

The' apartments were 10 stories high, with shops on the ground floor. Hot water was generated in a central heating plant and supplied to all the flats at a small charge. Each apartment was also. arranged so that cooking might be done by either gas or electricity. Radio was available by simply turning a switch. The number of apartments totalled 1,500, ranging from two to seven rooms, with 3-roomed units being in the great majority. Rents ran from £9 to £ls a room a year, and that includes heating.