The older streets cannot now be widened except at very great expense because the private property which fronts on them is so valuable. But new streets can be planned to take care of future traffic growth. No city street should be laid out with less than fifty-six feet between curb and curb. The sidewalk space varies with the width of the street, as the accompanying diagram shows.
Types of pavement.
Street Pavements.—Apart from good planning and adequate width, the usefulness of a street depends to a considerable extent on its paving. The qualities of an ideal pavement are easy enough to specify, but not so easy to secure. To reach perfection a street pavement should be cheap to construct, durable, easy to repair, easy to keep clean, smooth, safe for traffic, noiseless, and attractive in appearance. Unfortunately there is no type of pavement possessing all these qualities. A pavement of granite blocks will last for many years under heavy traffic, but it is expensive to build, noisy, and hard to keep clean. The asphalt pavement is cheaper, cleaner, and easier to drive upon; but it is slippery in wet weather and breaks down very quickly when heavy traffic is allowed on it. Wood blocks have come into favor in many cities during recent years because they are believed to make a pavement which is sufficiently strong to stand the burden now placed on the streets by truck traffic and yet afford a surface which is easy to drive over, not difficult to keep clean, and relatively noiseless. There is no one best form of pavement for all sections of the city.[[84]] It would be absurd to lay asphalt in the dock and shipping districts where the streets are filled with five-ton trucks, and just as absurd to put a granite-block surface on the streets of fine residential districts. The nature of the pavement should be adapted to neighborhood conditions.
The contract and direct labor systems.
When the pavement has been selected it can be laid in either of two ways—by contract or by city labor. Most pavements have been built by contract. The city officials prepare the plans, and call for bids; paving contractors submit their figures, and the contract is supposed to go to the one whose bid is the lowest. That, however, is not what always happens. Contracts for street paving have often been awarded, on one pretext or another, to contractors who were able to exert political influence.[[85]] In some cities the work is done by regular employees of the street department, the city buying its own materials. This plan is usually more expensive and it is not very practicable when a city wants a great deal of work done in a hurry; on the other hand it results, as a rule, in getting pavement of a better quality. Contract work, too often, is done hastily and proves defective. Direct construction by the city’s own labor force is slower, and more expensive, but usually more durable.
Parks and Recreation Grounds.—Public parks are of two types, first the large open spaces which cover many acres and can be used by the whole city, and second, the small areas which are provided for use by a single neighborhood only. Every large city has parks of both types. The old-style park which served more for ornament than for use, is now out of favor. Cities are placing more stress on grounds which can be used for athletic games or for other forms of recreation. In all communities which have the advantage of being located on the ocean, on a lake, or on a river, the water-front is a highly desirable addition to the available recreation spaces. Suitable bathing beaches in particular ought to be acquired by the cities for free use by the people. The development of street railway and motor transportation has lessened the pressure upon the downtown parks by making it more easy for the people to get out into the country.
The various classes of public buildings:
Public Buildings.—From the standpoint of suitable location the public buildings of a city may be divided into three classes. |1. Those which need central locations.| First, there are those public buildings which ought to be centrally located so that they may be easily reached from every part of the community. This class includes the post-office, the city hall, the court house, and the public library. In a few cities these buildings, or most of them, have been brought together in a civic center; but as a rule they are scattered here and there all over the community, wherever they may chance to have been placed in obedience to the influences or whims of the moment. The desirability of bringing them together, both as a matter of good planning and for the public convenience, is easy to realize.
2. Those which must be scattered.