The next fifty years; Creating the Future Environment

For. The next 50 years. In science they are looking urban environment with the rapid change during the next 50 years. National Education radio presents a series of programs expressing a variety of opinions on the future of the democratic environment. They were given of the 50th year crown prince of the American Institute of planners held in Washington in October of last year. In attendance was any our public affairs director Bill Greenwood

during the next 13 weeks. We will examine the needs for general urban development slum clearing as Thetic planning the effect of scientific and technological advancement and other areas of concern. This week our first programme on the next 50 years will explore the general theme of the conference setting the stage if you will for the programs to follow to more specifically outline the goals of this program. We hear first from Harlan Braun chairman of the conference on the needs of America during the next 50 years. He is a professional city planner who has pioneered in that field since 1912. He has served as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission the Missouri planning board and is a past president of the American Institute of planners. Here is Mr. Harland Berthoud I mean you title of this meeting the next 50 as was chosen deliberately.

Like they all represent who said regardless of my past my future as unspotted we make bowed I hope that this commemoration will mark a significant turning point in directing the growth and well-being of our American urbanization. Despite some 50 years of intensive planning endeavor we face today and have been precious a formidable character. A large city or metropolitan community it one of the most complex of man's creations for control of its character and growth is yet to be achieved. As planet as we can give form and shape to the community both small and large. But we have land the great social and

economic pressures can soon distort even destroy the best of plants. Ah problem today. There have been crisis calls for a most complete coordination of all those forces that produce a modern city planning and building the most complete transportation system will not eliminate blighted districts and slums. Complete and comprehensive housing reform and control by itself will not produce an efficient and attractive city. More is needed. This more is what we have failed to discover. Let us hope that this conference and our subsequent regional meetings will shop on our understanding clarify our objectives and will inspire the leadership require

had to meet the challenge of this urban crisis. It is generally assumed that our urban population will double in the next 30 to 40 years. It is also shown that most of this enormous added population will find accommodation within two hundred fifty or so metropolitan cities. Does this really make sense. And especially so when we consider our failure to solve present problems of slums of air and water pollution of traffic congestion not to mention others. While we have great technological ability with which to deal with some of these problems can we truly solve them all. And at what cost. We did not consciously plan

this great concentration of population should we blindly continue to follow such an obvious policy. A less a fair or has the time not come when we should consider a deliberate planned policy of a more rational pattern of population distribution. In the long run it should involve far less cost. Produce a great base a period urban environment and result in much greater human satisfaction. The American Institute of planners and Arco sponsors have gone to great lengths to bring together at this conference the expertise that is needed. Just think through with us the creation of proper urban environment for our present and for our ever burgeoning population.

It is hoped that in this way we can examine resolve and help to stimulate action. On four things the disciplines needed the steps to be taken in their implementation. Creation of the widest possible public understanding and the leadership required. These cannot be achieved without prodigious effort. As a planet must we not provide the required initiative at this most crucial stage of the development of the American city. You have just heard remarks by one of America's pioneers in the field of city planning. Mr. Harland Bartholomew as he set the theme for other remarks to follow remarks that next include an argument on behalf of the need to look ahead and begin mapping plans for the United

States's development through the year 2017. The next 50 years that defense of urban planning is to be offered by Bertrand as you have now the brilliant economist and political philosopher from Paris Dr does you have now is currently director of the Society for economic industrial and social studies in Paris. He is author of numerous major works dealing with societies development. He talks now about the need for a future planning in America. Planning is going to signify something else which is regular guys doing this stream of economy this sort of planning. I am used to doing its edges as actually it is a mind out of planning. Why is it that when I have been in my life involved in all sorts of forward looking and let me make it meet gasification there are a lot of there's a forward

looking which is a forward looking to book your avoidance defenses the forward looking which will warn you of where the hurricane beautiful. If I announce a try today it is going to go move out of the path of this and this sort of blending in the going to make this sort of forecasting and it going to mix up nice detailing an enterprise that is going to do the session and better then do it better not have invention then hire it in the same sense that high up with diction which is a bijection of the same sort of things but it just has to be a thing which can dominate the future which was dominant to the other one. For instance instead of telling an enterprise that you're going to have a New Delhi government that was going to be in a session therefore you must do something to prevent it. Said you were there the addiction is already used to prevent the thing which is predicted and then we go on to planning which is also which is also is being

listened to by by governments. What is what is planning in fact as we know it. In France it is expediting growth and the planet has no powers. The planet must take as the end of his planning. This satisfaction of the shopping lists of government and the shopping list of consumers as he expects them to be that this that is his goal and you must devise ways and means the puffs them. The critical path. There's the bus which is going to get into this next room and satisfaction in a number of four or five yes. In the devising of these spots he's again obliged to take into account what peoples behaviors are going to be. He can never go right into his plan any behavior which is unlikely because then the plan would miscarried and in a way I've been led to say that spending is almost the opposite of

utopia because what is utopia Utopia is showing you a picture of a good place a place of Felicity utopia which is wholly different from what we have. Why is it different from what we have because people behave otherwise you know the way you do it is written you know to show us that our ways are bad ways and that if we improve them then we would have another one. But it began it have this sort of thing without improving the ways that the planet does not suppose this improvement the planet and my sense of the way he doesn't suppose this improvement. Consequently there is no utopia downstream. Historically in his in his vision of the future you see Utopia is not done steam is not something you're going to get by pursuing your present behavior has however much you produce and so if you took a stance here let's really and you're going to get to it unless you shift your behavior and therefore this is in very important and the setting this setting the thing you'll end it is that in the setting this can this can be an

important contributing influence to the shifting of behaviors. I could get used to be called a liberal arts philosophy this is the old concept in that I did time when the mechanical arts where despised. So there Wes you had philosophy and architecture together as in that you started when I was total speaks of the speaks of the city and speaks of people damn us I mean that is a constant converse between the philosopher and the architect of course because the architect that writes in Stone writes in stone with the philosophy of that sin. New concepts on the other hand you have the mechanical arts and the mechanical arts were downtrodden they were practiced by slaves there were no estimates and this was bad of course and we owe our modern civilization to the fantastic upgrading of the mechanical This is just this updating has been has been quite fantastic. Mechanical arts the

arts which stand in the highest esteem under the name of technology these are the old mechanical arts the arts of doing and they have it precious we can see how precious the eye when we compare the condition of this country by this to advance with the condition of countries I also very much care but which are so unhappily devoid of technology advances. All right so you have this this great upsurge of the mechanical arts in this useful its good box in a way what is happening now is that these mechanical arts which just said just so wet and which if you know oen day its just so well in providing the best part of mankind with the tools to facilitate the most ancient labor which is the labor of keeping the home and the meat as most and the most important the Kargil inventions the equipping the home equipment because these are the leaves and the best part of mankind from DAY the latest round.

These mechanical belts then they have never looked they have said this and know that sort of taking off in just things which are not that useful to the daily life of mankind and this is a thing which one is me and this is where you people go architect's death with lust was definitely interested in valueless. Have some sort of controlled access because it is the good life the place of Felicity does not lie downstream by the increasing technology as it's going now because it is going into the actions of power and prestige which are not useful to the larger part of mankind. It shocks me just think that so much so little of the sense in the Sitch goes to the problems of the underdog nations of the world. Even the cultural techniques which the devil took the notes with the book the destocking techniques which are

they're not they're not suitable for the under developed countries and therefore we must attend. But it's not us. Finishing that we should attend you know adequately you know do the needs of the underdeveloped nations. There was so little of this research and development if it is addressed to the daily needs of men and women even in our own countries even in your own country and this is this is where them must be vested in I think there must be a vessel of diction not going to vessel a shift of the action which can only follow from a change in the object of esteem. As I say the most important thing is to change people's objects of esteem and I think very use so that their daily life and what contribution to daily life would good to be used to the delight and joy of the daily life they should be given more importance. This is the millions hundreds of millions of people leading their daily lives

and how much beauty how much how much objectiveness of what is there and it would seem brutal to you if I said that in times to come it is not so much to put. Which is going to matter but it's going to be the organization of work should be on the basis of making work more palatable much ective because no man can feel the men whose work is unimportant to him. And he said going play in the garden and then say who said to be satisfying himself with his leisure which is just the same thing as telling a child go and play in the garden and children always think this is a sign of being given not enough significance of these things. Other things which seem to me important meeting you will be creating and the framework of the daily lives of people. There was an then lysis of the time

the employment of time and especially a logical Congress additional last year. If it's results from that about 90 percent of the time lived by a family spend at a low ground. Oh I mean the man goes to the office out of the factory. The lady may go there half time to play. The children go to school. All this takes up a part of the time left by the family but the gate bulk of the time live by the family is lived in and around the home and then it is then the influences of convenience of and many of beauty must be manifested. Who can do this you can do it you can do it. Oh I mean I'm I'm not I'm not passing the buck. I mean I'm I know that it's very difficult to piss people off. It's always very difficult to best meet people you would have great difficulty and always has great difficulties but still I mean people are conscious that what you're

doing is meant to stand for a long time. You see you're not doing up so let me get the obsolescent things like it. I scheme like motor cars. You're doing things which are meant to last. I hope you will do things in this village everlasting this because there is no civilization of nomads. If people if people just bitched at the end here and there this is not a civilization. There's never been a civilization. Therefore you will do things which are meant to last. Which do you envision which demanded things defy do you respect for the dignity of man and then you would turn obviously the values which may be involved with which were to be obsolescent. You didn't do which is not upset you didn't do what is whether the fundamental enjoyment of a man of good. Then you ask yourself what sort of man but instead of a what sort of man do you want to build a city.

But I would say to men who are different. Obviously you don't want to build a city in which you will have people who will be like in Iowa what you want is a city in which people will be and I give an idea of flowers in the garden. What you want to do is to have an earthly paradise of different flowers in the garden this is a cause for the gentle art of gardening. But the gentle art make this with a great deal of energy because you will need energy to materialize your vision back if you have no vision which is very improbable. If you had no vision then that would be that it would travel down steam and they get it. Technology is taking us whenever we do which technology is booked. I thinking this because after all this is that is a guiding by some good wishes which are not the purposes of jaunting

data. And Timo it goes in this direction the more the talent in does the actions build up in the more the stoneage at jaxx where the tasks and the mother if you're moving out taking off from the daily cares of it and you picture the daily lives of people in their homes and then their homes and in the public places you would say what many people do really want but many people do we went ahead to develop people who were different people all of whom relish in their own way and I had to flattish by the setting and make up with them thank you. The voice you just heard was that of Bertrand. Now the renowned French economist and political philosopher he has just given a scholarly defense for this series of programs on American needs during the next 50 years. He has argued on behalf of future urban planning. Another who maintains this nation must look forward in years to come

and plan for the needs of that future is Lyndon Baines Johnson the president of the United States. Although Mr. Johnson did not personally attend the Washington conference on America's urban needs he did send many emissaries among them Robert Weaver secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the honorable Lawrence O'Brian the postmaster general. In dedicating a commemorative U.S. postage stamp in honor of American city planners Mr. O'Brian outlined both his and President Johnson's concern for future planning to meet America's challenges of the next 50 years. President Johnson was keenly aware of the need for fresh and destructive ideas ideas to meet the growing problems of urban decay and asked me to tell you that the postage stamp we're using today with its message plan for better cities will go on sale

tomorrow throughout the nation and be printed one hundred and twenty million times. It will thus serve as one hundred and twenty million reminders that our cities can be the product of man's infinite capacity to create beauty and utility. The stamp will serve as one hundred and twenty million messengers arousing new awareness of the fact that the enormous tied up problems lapping at the foundations of our urban centers is in large degree the result of lack of planning. This stamp will serve to eliminate one hundred and twenty million times the often mis understood fact that our cities do not have to be ugly or dirty or congested are unsafe. All our administrators nightmares and then the president added There is a new day coming in the life of our cities a day when past mistakes

will have been a right and a nation learns the joys of an urban environment created by man for me. And it is groups of informed and committed people such as you meeting here this week. Well speed the arrival of that day. Certainly I fully share the president's pleasure over this conference and the opportunity it offers. The Post Office Department to participate with you. I must say in addition that at a time in world history when there are so many threatening signs all around us when not a day passes but that a new storm signal is right. When the smoke from domestic and foreign violence boils up the blind and when they arrive all of tomorrow sometimes seems doubtful. It gives me a great sense of relief to know that so many well-informed men and women are planning for the year 2017 at such an age so the

only refreshing point of view. I am almost tempted to say the work of this conference may provide us with the answer that man has puzzled over ever since he began to walk upright and rotten sentences. Is there intelligent life on Earth. Now that you know every story my optimism my macros will point. I can see from the roster of those attending this conference that much of that intelligent life is collected right here. There are men and women here from almost every area of thought. We have scientists planners architects economists theologians writers builders sociologists administrators and many others and I am pleased to know my friends that you have recognized the need for including a politician or two in your search for ways to translate your aspirations

into our institutions. And I see to it that we have a psychiatrist who will will be needed more than ever in my judgment if the politicians fail. Perhaps others as well as the psychiatrist might be interested in a few lines from a caustic piece by HL Mencken. Call upbeat all for the ugly. His point was that Americans seem to have an absolute drive almost a mania for making their environment as readily as possible. He felt the nation's cities could only have developed so appallingly if there were some force within us that wanted ugliness. Man can describe the train ride on a winter day some years ago. I rolled eastward for an hour. It was familiar ground boy and man I had been through it often before. But somehow I had never quite sensed its upwelling desolation here was the very heart of industrial America the center of the most lucrative and

characteristic activity the boast and pride of the richest and grandest nation ever seen on earth. And here was a scene so dreadfully hideous so intolerably bleak and for a lark that it reduced the whole aspiration of man to a macabre and depressing job. Here was wealth beyond computation beyond imagination and here were human habitations. So abominable that they would have disgraced a race of alley cats. I am not speaking of felt and wrote what I allude to is the broken and agonizing all ugliness. And he ends by saying error is something that these psychologists have so far neglected a lot of ugliness for its own sake the last to make the world intolerable. It was a sorry picture painted with such rot and dingy colors but the conditions he described still exist in abundance in the

early days of cities when they were the refuge for predatory barons. It was commonly sad that city air makes man free. Now they can give them consumption. And too many of our cities you are likely to wake up in the morning to the sound of birds coughing. Thank you. Now this may be the condition to which our urban centers have to climb but I can't agree that we have a lot of ugliness for its own sake. I don't feel that we secretly enjoy chaos. I can't believe that really relish leading the world in traffic jams. But I do think we haven't really understood that we are responsible for the state of our cities. I do think we haven't sufficiently comprehend the fact that we have inherited our cities. We do not have to accept that inheritance.

I think that most of us do not yet really grasp the fact that a properly planned environment can bring us the priceless treasure of a healthier better life a life where the air is clean the water pure the streets say a life where the eye is filled with the light rather than being dulled by the hideous where the air is refreshed rather than a sail and where rational transport Tejan permits us to enjoy our leisure and enjoy our families. And this is possible. That is the message we are trying to convey in the stand. Psychologists tell us people see only what they are prepared to see. Well it is vital that the American people be prepared to see that they simply do not have to put up with it up with anything but excellence

in their cities. We can achieve the optimum environment. It is in our power and the proper place to be again is where the need is most acute in our cities.