History of Planning (Ch. 3 & 4)

Question 1

What are some characteristics of prerevolutionary town planning?

Answer 1

1. Town square
2. Reasonable amount of space between buildings
3. Simply, rectangular street pattern
4. Land granted to a single individual who could impose planning practices and patterns as they wanted

Question 2

How did planning practices change Post-revolution?

Answer 2

1. Ended the practice of creating municipalities through royal land grants to individuals
2. Bulk of political power went to the States and municipalities only had power granted to them from the states, therefore the municipal powers to control the use of land were diminished
3. The creation of the Constitution put in place many safeguards on the use of land by property owners

Question 3

Describe what led to sanitary reform in the mid-nineteenth century.

Answer 3

Household wastes would accumulate in streams and cesspools, which could contaminate drinking water. Waterborne diseases were common.

Question 4

According to Frederick Law Olmsted, what are the keys to preventing disease?

Answer 4

1. Sunlight
2. Air circulation
3. Adequate vegetation

Question 5

What did New York City’s Tenement Housing Act require?

Answer 5

This law required lot coverage to be cut back to 70 percent and required a separate bathroom in each apartment, courtyards for light and ventilation, improved fire safety standards, and the addition of the tenement house commission which provided staff for inspections and enforcement.

Question 6

How did European housing reform during the second half of the 20th century differ from American housing reform?

Answer 6

In Europe, public money was invested in building housing for workers of modest means. The municipal government often played the roles of landowner, developer, and financier. Local and National governments took the view that it was the responsibility of the government to provide adequate housing at an acceptable cost. The US believed that the market should provide housing and the government should regulate costs. Public funds were typically not spent on housing.

Question 7

Describe the components of the Plan of Chicago? When was it developed?

Answer 7

The plan of Chicago was developed in 1906 and finalized in 1909. The plan contained maps for a complex transportation system of highways that spanned 60 miles from the city center. It also contained plans for street widening, overpasses, parks and wildlife preserves.

Question 8

When impact did the Great Depression have on American’s perception of planning?

Answer 8

It caused many people to look favorably on planning practices. The order and increase in living standards that planning could bring was viewed as a positive.

Question 9

What is the largest single construction project in U.S. history?

Answer 9

The Interstate Highway System

Question 10

How did the post WWII period affect planning in the use?

Answer 10

Increased prosperity gave municipal governments more funds to spend on planning. Urban Renewal initiative was implemented. Increases in suburbanization and car usage created demand for even more highway planning. Environmental planning, along with environmental regulations became a niche planning area in order to address damage to the environment.