Cities: How They Grow (1952)

sidewalks and streets where once there were Fields steel and concrete instead of trees [Music] New York Washington Chicago Philadelphia Pittsburgh American cities big bigger biggest all have one important thing in every one of our cities whatever its size or location is a crossroad Nation the first settlements were founded as transfer points where there was a change from one form of transport to another for from the beginning tools were needed as well as medicine clothing weapons Goods they could get from Europe only by trade and trade as always was dependent on Transportation by land and by water so towns sprouted around busy Harbors handling goods and passengers first on the East Coast then on the gulf much later on the west coast other cities likewise began as river or lake transfer points on the great inland waterways cities have grown where there was water to turn the wheels of Factories near mineral resources [Music] where there was oil Iron Coal and near refineries of these resources some cities grew midway between sources of raw materials used in the manufacturer of a finished product such as [Music] steel others grew near Inland transfer points where products of the surrounding rural region were brought to be stored or shipped to larger markets certain cities situated in mild even climates have grown as centers for relaxation and convalescence from the start certain young towns expanded faster than the rest as Commerce grew at transfer points industry business and communication tended to centralize in those cities proximity of raw materials and labor naturally stimulated further growth the greatest expansion followed the Civil War industrial centers grew by Leaps and Bounds as factories doubled and tripled after 1890 waves of immigrants many bringing Urban skills swell the size of our cities again new types of farm machinery cut down the number of people needed on farms young people headed for the cities to live and work and with the passing decades those cities grew fastest that were situated as transfer points handling goods and services of the nation's most productive areas physically a handful of our cities were planned from the start like Washington's famed wheel and spoke design and the grid iron pattern a popular 19th Century City plan but due to the incredibly rapid expansion most cities outdistanced their planners when there were any and grew into a maze of comp complexity and confusion this is the profile of a city any City to the left is the center of business next is the zone of warehouses Terminals and old homes moderately priced Apartments occupy the third Zone the fourth Zone has single family homes when a metropolitan area grows these zones expand to take in more or area politically metropolitan areas often straddle State and County boundaries included in these areas are many small political units cities Villages townships there's overlapping duplication and conflict in government functions of these various units as regards highways schools water supply and taxes a city's problems in increase with its size because of this lack of discipline planning many of our large cities have paid a terrible price High land values and crowded buildings crowded streets traffic jams and costly delays in distributing Goods a general decline in war War neighborly [Music] relationships far too little chance for fresh air and sunlight a higher cost per person for essential Services it has even become difficult for the average citizen to actively take part in his local government but we've come a long way to an exciting era reasons which determin the original location of cities once so significant no longer apply today factories can be built almost anywhere since power can be made available [Music] anywhere instantaneous communication makes it possible for parts of a single company to be hundreds of miles apart many plants once dependent on railroads and water transport are today free to build elsewhere some businesses taking advantage of an increasingly mobile labor force are moving to the low rent outskirts and so are families which can afford houses in the country the trend is away from the congest tested Center a difficult perplexing job faces today's city planners we must work within the limits of a basically rigid [Music] structure whole sections of buildings must be blasted to make way for new avenues and boulevards new schools new playgrounds lowcost housing developments more efficient more healthy though plagued by such problems as health housing and traffic the very size of a large city has certain definite advantages in an abundance of special [Music] services a variety of employment up-to-date facilities and a city with its large interested audiences encourages a rich cultural life concerts galleries lectures the theater if we plan well Urban Americans will someday enjoy more of the advantages of the large city without many of the penalties they now are forced to pay the