1932-05-21 — Page 7

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SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1932.

Town Planning Through The Ages

Not A "Modern Fad” Says Mr. R. J. Vernall

ONE

OF THE OLDEST ARTS

HOW TO-DAY'S. IDEAL CITY SHOULD BE BUILT.

THE CHINA MAIL

enough, and that Parliamentary Boroughs are merely sections of greater town belts or of areas hav ing similar interests. This is re- cognised by 'the enlargement of Town Planning action into Regional Planning which is operated by the mutual agreement of Local Author. ities. The feeling that the massing of an immense population into one great. town is necessarily evil, has led to The building of Garden Cities having a population of from 30,000 to 50,000 people and which are self contuined and governed by a new polley of control. An alternative solution of the problem is suggested in the building of satellite towns separated from the great cilies by park belts, but linked thereto by rapid transportation facilities, Fundamental Principle. The fundamental principal in

the various districts according to

Hon. Mr. J. P. Braga On Empire Day Fair

Confident It Will Be A Big Success

OPENING ON MONDAY

EXHIBITS FROM MANY PARTS OF THE EMPIRE.

An interesting paper on "Town Planning" planning the lay-out of a city is that tractions at the Empire Day Fair, which is to open Some idea of the wide scope and variety of at- was read by Mr. R. J. Vernall, A.R.L.B.A., to a large of the classification and slting in the Peninsula Hotel on Monday, was given to a gathering of members of the Institution of En- their co-relation, both to each other "China Mail" representative to-day by the Hon. Mr. gineers and Shipbuilders, last evening. The talk and the plan as a whole. They J. P. Braga, Chairman of the Fair Committee, was made understandable to all by avoiding as far must be designed to provide healthy living and working conditions, pre- as possible the use of technical expressions.

The Fair, which promises to be a success be- vent present or future congestion cause of the hearty support it is receiving from Mr. Vernall said that a few years ago, and and be conveniently distributed, every section of residents of the Colony, is some- even to-day, it is by no means uncommon to hear between the residential and working thing unique which has never before been attempt- whilst maintaining a proper relation, Town Planning spoken of as a "modern fad," areas. It is in this classification ed here. whereas actually, so far from being modern it is and distribution that each town will really one of the oldest of the arts evolved during have its own problem arising from the development of organised civic life amongst its particular activities and busi- civilised people.

GOING BACK 4,500 YEARS.

differ from all others. Each will

ness, as well as upon its size." Broadly speaking the classification

WILL BE ANNUAL ATTRACTION,

From the enthusiasm and in-) of the districts of a town will terest shown from the conception resolve itself under three main of the idea to organize the Fair, headings (1) Residential (ii) Bus-indications are that it will develop ness and (iii) Industrial, which will We are able by record and that for at least the first half of in turn be sub-divided into other into an annual attraction. In fact, remains to trace the history of the century, the Government was in and smaller districts.

said Mr. Braga, the idea of the Town Planning over a period of the hands of a class who

Of the total area covered by a Fair has so appealed that local primarily interested in the acquisi- town a minimum of 25% should be firms are already making arrange. tion of material prosperity and who devoted to roads but a well planned ments for a show on a much larger were neglectful of the housing of modern town would show a propor-scale next year. the people and the conditions under tion nearer 50% of the total area. which they lived. Whilst regarding

Dealing with this year's Fair,

nearly 4,500 years. Throughout this period, towns built for security during the early struggles of their inhabitants show a plan which, from a town-planning point of view, can only be described as haphazard.

Whilst the surviving relics of many of the ancient towns of the period 2,500 B.C. until the fall of Rome, show us a plan of this nature, there is evidence in plenty to prove that some lown plans were designed and that the art which we now call Town Planning was understood and practised by the ancients.

New Historical Era.

}

were

Lay-Out of a Town.

The principal British Depart- ment store, and the Teading firms of Hong Kong, he said, have made re- play of the principal lines of servations at the Fair for the dis

British products such

as sports gear, office metal furniture, office applicances, and a thousand and one other things.

Cigarettes and Smokes.

The leading brands of cigarettes and smokes of British manufac these things as of minor importance The lay-out of the town should ed into several sections. In

Mr. Braga said that it will be divid-ture, Mr. Braga said, will be ex- the middle class began to develop also include sufficient squares and Dominions Section, he said, there Tobacco Company and Messrs. John hibited by the British-American the a desire to express their power in open spaces whose primary object will be comprehensive representation D. Hutchison & Co. the planning of imposing cities or will be to ensure the expeditious of the products of the various the cutting of houlevards. The out distribution of traffic from the main Dominions, among which will be standing example of this type of routes to subsidiary ones, and, Canadian and Australian chilled

un-

Poultry Section, Mr. Braga said:

"If only to appreciate the value of

Proceeding to deal with the

will repay many to visit the Fair."

the contributions to this section, it

to rear

Town Planning is that of Hauss- whilst they should be designed with meat, and fresh fruits from Canada, mann in Paris under Napoleon III. this object in view, their layout Australia and New Zealand.

Apart from a number of sectional should receive consideration in re-

Some Fine Poultry, improvements, Paris had not, until gard to the character of their

Dairy Farm's Display. Following the fall of the Roman this time, advanced very far in com- environment and the buildings sur-

The collection of poultry on The Dairy Farm, Ice and Cold show, he said, represent the best) Empire, Town Planning as an active parison with other great cities, and rounding them The square which Storage Company, Mr. Braga said, from the runs of amateur breeders art disappeared for several cen- it remained for Haussmann, backed is surrounded by public and semi-will be one of the largest exhibi- in Hong Kong and the New Terri turies, and many of the Roman by the power of Napoleon, to con-public buildings will be laid out intors at the Fair and have arranged tories. These include the best of towns and camps were destroyed or sider the city as a whole, and give a more formal manner than that an attractive display of their ape- English and Canadian fowls such became deserted. Generally speak- cohesion to the sectional develop surrounded by buildings of less im-cial lines of York pork from Eng- as White Leghorns, Wyandotts and ing from the time of the destruc-ment of his predecessors. Actuated portance and whose design is not. of land and English hams. Scotland Rhode Island Reds. Some of these tion of the Roman Power until the by a desire to produce a plan in a monumental nature. There are will be represented in the Dairy are expensive birds on which high, early years of the Renaissance was which a logical solution of the traffic many shapes which the square may Farm's display with Ayrshire veal, values are placed by their owners. a period of Town Planning neglect. * problem Was combined with the take and to some extent the volume and haddocks and kippers cured in They are, of course, not for sale, creation of magnificent effects his of traffic will dictate the form Scotland, while Irish bacon will also and are being shown to prove the Coincident with the spread of work in Paris exercised a tremend- adopted. Where the traffic is very be exhibited. Christianity there was produced a

ability of even amateurs ous effect on the planning and re- great the circular form is class of peaceful men living in planning of other cities in Europe. doubtedly the best.

Other Dairy Farm exhibits, Mr. fine strains of fowis in the Colony.. religious houses whose main object

Poultry of the commoner descrip- Braga continued, will be Canadian In Canada and America. in life was study. On the one hand,

The defacement of streets with red spring salmon from the Fraser tion will also be on display, Mr. Meanwhile in Canada and the immense, and usually crude, ad- River; Canterbury lamb from Braga added, and these, together were men devoted to study and on the other rulers capable of develop towns had been laid out on the grid-signs should be rigidly forbidden.

United States of America several vertisement posters and electric New Zealand, and butter, cheese, with eggs of the highest grade will ing the arts of civilisation, and thus iron plan, which in

rabbits and harea from Australia, be on sale. the light of Parke & Recreation Grounds. a new historical era commenced. modern conditions can hard'y be,

Hong Kong Farm Exhibits, The Parks and called a Town Plan at all. Founded grounds of a town should be design- farm of the Company will be fresh Recreation Exhibits from the Hong Kong quest in Europe, a number of towns

on the chequer-board pattern of the ed as a system and not dotted hap-milk from Scottish and Canadian of poultry, that Mr. J. A. 9. Alves, were built of a military character Romans, the fundamental changes in hazardly about the plan. The lar-cows, home made cheese, hams, etc. who is responsible for the organis- and it was rarely that a town was the purpose of the town and in the gest should be on the outskirts of bullt for commercial or residential conditions of life of the inhabitants the town and they should decrease Braga stated, will display, the pro- has, with the assistance of

New Territories exhibitors, Mr. Ing and displaying in this section, Of the latter Old Sarum since the time of the latter, were in area as the centre of the town is ducts raised there by Chinese for-R. M., Deyer, compiled a booklet on and Hull in England and Carcas ignored and a plan produced which, approached, until the formal gar-mers. These will include a large how to keep poultry in Hong Kong sonne in France are examples. Old apart from the facilities it provides dens and open Serum was afterwards abandoned in the easy sale and purchase of place. The residential areas should melons (vegetable marrows, pump booklets will be on le at the Fair spaces take their variety of vegetables, cooking and the New Territories, and these and the present town of Salisbury land and gambling in land values, be planned with ample accommoda-kins, etc.) tomatoes, a large quan- at 30 cents per copy. founded for purely commercial has little to recommend it and inition for the larger ball games, such tity of potatoes (including sweat

many cities as Chicago has as football proved a costly blunder. It pro-reasonable distance of every house.

and cricket, within a potatoes), and tarro. duces a town which is monotonous Conditions in the East are funda-

Ther, following the period of Con-

purposes.

reasons.

Mr. Vernall then dealt with the new period which was born in 1453 with the fall of Constantinople and

of 1440 are typical examples. After the 80 Years' War.

Mr. Braga said that it would be

of those interested in the rearing useful to add for the information

Mrs.

Hong Kong Flowers. "Unfortunately," Mr. Braga.con- Fish From Tal-0.

tinued, "the time of the year is not, the best for a good display of Proceeding, Mr. Braga said that flowers, as the number now in have been bloom is so very limited. What

in the extreme and lacking in almost mentally different from those of special arrangements the effect of Europe being flooded all the best features of Town Plan-Europe and, as is to be expected, made to convey to the Fair a large ever blooms are available, however, with Greek scholars and literature, ning, whilst it almost always resulta principles established as essential in supply of fresh fish from Tai-0. Mrs. R. M. Dyer, Mr. J. T. Bagram The old ideals were studied and in overcrowding. From a traffic England, France, Germany, etc., are He said that the public need not be and Mr. Andrew Tee are assembl new ideals and aspirations formed point of view its chief inconvenience found equally undesirable in India, told that the best fish obtainable ing in a collection which will be Architecturally, the new order found lies in the lack of diagonal routes, Malaya and China. Nevertheless in on the local market was from the pleasing to the eye. These flowers expression in the great secular the need of which is felt very many of the towns of the latter district, the southern division of will be offered for sale for the buildings of which the Ricardi acutely judging from the costly countries, especially India, there is the New Territories. Palace of 1430 and the Pitti Palace schemes of alteration which are a steadily increasing advocacy for

decoration of tables, etc., on Em- undertaken in America from time to better planning, and the leaders of Territories, Mr. Braga added, will

All fresh products from the New pire Day.".... time, in an effort to make good the the movement take a great interest be on sale at the Fair from an early at the Fair, Mr. Braga sald that by The lecturer then went on to deal deficiency. An outstanding example in the work of other countries. The hour on Monday morning, so as to the kind permission of Commodore Speaking as to other attractiona with the period following the con- of a city planned on the grid-iron difference in economic conditions is enable residents to lay in their A. H. Walker, O.B.E., RN., and clusion of the Thirty Years War pattern is New York. when Europe became more settled,

responsible for much of the differ-stocks for their all-Empire meals Captain Knowles, DS.0, RN., the and the founding of towns became. During the 19th century it can planning.

England's Neglect.

ence between Eastern and Western on that day and particularly on Band of H. M. S. Cornwall under a favourite occupation of the ruling fairly be seen that in England no

Empire Day, the 24th. Prices, he the baton of Bandmaster E. M. princes. Typical examples of this Town Planning care was exercised

Conclusion.

emphasised, will be marked on all williams, will be in attendance period are Berlin, Karlsruhe. and at all, and to day there are few

In conclusion Mr. Vernall remird-products on sale, and the public from 4 p.m. to 5.20 p.m. en Mon Dusseldorf. Of these the most out large towns which do not suffered the audience that all Town Plan- could rest assured that only mar day. Following upon the depar standing is Karlsruhe, the lay-out from that neglect. There was little ning has an element of prophecy, ket prices would be charged for ture of the Cornwall Band, the of which shows a complete break consideration given to light, air or pected with the future than the Empire Food for Empire Day p.m., after which a programme of It is, in fact, generally more con- everything orchestra of the Peninsils Hotǝl away from the Roman Flan.

The 16th and 17th centuries saw, to its utmost, so keenly were land present, but It by no means fellows Mr. Braga proceeded, the Com record music will be played....

"As the slogan of the Fair is will keep up the music until 6.30 sanitation, every acre being built up in London, a further development in owners and manufacturers interest that because a Town Planning mittee is appealing to all residents another type of Town Planning, ed in the accumulation of wealth sums of money are to be spent Im from the New Territories at the lent by The Anderson Musls: Com

scheme is prepared, that Immerse of the Colony to obtain supplies

British Planos and Radio, that is the planning of the London and ladifferent to the conditions mediately upon costly development, F

These records are being kindly Squares, the first of which was under which they lived.

pany, whose display at thể”-Fair will include British

and be, well worth in-

coln's Inn Fields.

In the 19th Century

With the nineteenth century came

the rise of the middle class who at

In most countries in Europ

as was, and still is supposed by

However, during the later years

of the century, a movement towards many people. Most large cities to reform was commenced, and in 1975 de have their Town-Plan

the passing of the Public Health

full control of Government, right,

derable power

those in

GOV

the first tep

This

Itimate goa

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