Maps and Diagrams NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS 1923 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/mapsdiagramsshowOOregi P. N. Y. 3 MAPS AND DIAGRAMS SHOWING PRESENT CONDITIONS NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS MARCH, 1923 Prepared by the H PHYSICAL SURVEY PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS 1923 Price 25 Cents '"on Theologies PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS 4150 1 CONTENTS PAGE Committee 4 Introductory Statement 5 Territory Included 6-7 Density of Population, Entire Area, 1920 8-9 Population Density, Central Area, 1850 10-11 Population Density, Central Area, 1920 12-13 Trunk Line Highways 14-15 Theoretical Diagram of Main Roads 16-17 Traffic Density on Main Roads 18-19 The Topography of the Region 20-21 Passenger Train Service in the Central District 22-23 Railroad Commuting Fare Zones 24-25 Railroad Commuting Time Zones 26-27 Parks and Open Spaces 28-29 Existing Recreation Facilities in the Hudson River Valley 30-31 Area, Population, and Parks in Urban and Rural Districts 32-33 Comparison of Public and Private Provision for Recreation 34-35 Congestion in New York Theater District 36-37 Progress of Zoning in the Territory within Thirty Miles of New York 38-39 PLAN ( ) I N !•; \Y Y () R K A XI) I T S E N VI RONS COMMITTEE ON PLAN of NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS Charles D. Norton,* Chairman Frederic A. Delano, Acting Chairman Robert W. de Forest Dwight W. Morrow John M. Glenn Frank L. Polk Frederick P. Keppel, Secretary Flavel Shurtleff, Assistant Secretary 130 East 22d Street, New York City PHYSICAL SURVEY Nelson P. Lewis, Director * Died on March 6, 1923 I I I P L A N OF N E W YORK AN I) ITS EN V IRON S INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT HE first thing necessary in the development of a Plan of New York and Its Environs is to visualize the problem, to determine the extent of the territory to be considered, to study its topography, to learn something of the large number of political units which will be included and their relation to each other, and to secure information concerning the various improvements and development in progress or contemplated, not only by the several states, cities, and towns, but by public service and industrial corporations. This work has been and is being carried forward by the Physical Survey, which has prepared a large number of maps, diagrams, and sketches, as was indicated on page 23 of the Report of Progress, dated February 1, 1923. In order to give some idea of the general character of these studies and the way in which the results have been presented, a few of the maps and diagrams are reproduced herewith. Those selected will show the territory under con- sideration, the population of the different portions of the area, and its relative density at different periods. They will also show the main lines of communica- tion by highways and railways, the volume of vehicular traffic on the former and the passenger train service afforded by the latter, as indicated by facilities, time, and rates of fare. Parks and other open spaces are also indicated, as well as the possibility of materially increasing the recreation facilities, while atten- tion is drawn to the great disparity between the provision made for public recreation and that supplied by social organizations to their own limited mem- bership. Another illustration shows the extent to which the idea of regulating the use of private property, together with the degree to which the area of plots may be built upon, has spread within this district since the adoption of New York's zoning plan in 1916. With the kind permission of Air. I. N. Phelps Stokes, the Eddy Map, dedi- cated to DeWitt Clinton, and reproduced from the " Iconography of Manhattan Island," appears upon the cover. [51 PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS TERRITORY INCLUDED HE map on page 7 shows simply the counties and portions of counties in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut which arc under consideration, except that the study includes all of Long Island. The county seats, ex- cept in the counties of New York City and in Suffolk, Orange, and Dutchess Counties, where they art' outside the limits of the map, are indicated by a star, and the relative populations of the different counties and parts of counties are shown by the size of the small circles. The distribution of population between the present city of New York, New York State outside of the city, New Jersey, and Connecticut, is shown by the smaller circular diagram. The figures are those of the Federal Census of 1920. Several estimates have been made of the prob- able population up to the end of the present century, the area being divided for this purpose into urban, suburban, and rural districts. The urban district in- cludes the present city of New York, Hudson County, and Newark; the suburban district all of Nassau, Westchester, and Union Counties, the westerly portion of Fairfield County, Essex County, outside of Newark, and the southerly portions of Bergen and Passaic Counties; the rural district includes the remainder of the area. While the figures for the year 2000 differ somewhat, it is significant that the several estimates are almost identical up to the year 1960, these being, for the last-named date, approximately 13,000,000 for the urban, 5,000,000 for the suburban, and 2,000,000 for the rural areas, or a total of 20,000,000. These figures, therefore, with any of the estimates for the years after 1960, may safely be accepted as a reasonable basis for comprehensive planning for the future. [6] P L A N OF NEW Y ORK AN D ITS K N V I R O N S [ 7 ] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS DENSITY OF POPULATION, K NT I RE AREA, 1920 IT IS important to note how the 9,000,000 people living in this area are dis- tributed. The map on page 9 indicates, liy symbols, the average popula- tion per square mile in different parts of the district. The variations are so great that it is impossible, in such a plan, to distinguish between densities running over 100,000 to the square mile, which is the average for Manhattan Island. The next greatest density indicated is from 10,000 to 30,000, this apply- ing to Kings, Bronx, and Hudson Counties. A surprisingly large part of the area has an average of less than 200 people to the square mile, notwithstanding the fact that towns of considerable size are included. Under this classification fall all of Suffolk, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Morris, and Somerset Counties, and portions of Nassau, Westchester, Fairfield, Bergen, Passaic, Middlesex, and Monmouth Counties. A comparison of the relative density of population per square mile in the rural areas, as indicated by the census enumerations made in 1850 and in 1920, discloses the somewhat startling fact that in a number of towns, from 30 to 50 miles distant from the New York City Hall, the present population per square mile is about halt w hat it was in 1850, and in some eases even less. These are not districts where the population appears to have been displaced by the creation of large estates or by the acquisition of great tracts of land for any public purpose, such as municipal water supplies. The fact seems to show the tendency to concentration of population in large cities and towns. 18] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS UNION PLAN OF NEW YORK AND I T S K N V I R O N S POPULATION DENSITY, CENTRAL AREA, 1850 [T IS desirable to get a somew hat closer viewoi the distribution of population in the central area and see how this has changed. There is first shown on page 11 the population per square mile as indicated by the Census of 1850. The greatest density at that time was, of course, in the lower portion of Man- hattan Island, where it reached between 150,000 and 200,000 per square mile. In Brooklyn the maximum was between 75,000 and 100,000, which was found in a very small area near Fulton Ferry. At no place north of Twenty-third Street in the Borough of Manhattan does there appear to have been as many as 5,000 to the square mile, and this density was reached only in very small areas in Brooklyn, in Jersey City, and in a portion of Newark. All of Manhattan above Twenty-third Street, all of the Boroughs of the Bronx, Queens, and Richmond, and what are now the populous Bushwick, Bedford, Flatbush, and Bay Ridge districts of Brooklyn, were in this same classification. I in] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS 11 V UNION Til BO I PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS K N V I RO N S POPULATION DENSITY, CENTRAL AREA, 1920 ( "( '( )RI )l N( i to the last census, nowhere in New York City except in a por- tion oi the Bronx east <>l the Bronx River, and in the southeasterly part oi the Borough of Queens, and the major part oi the Borough of Rich- mond, could be found the average density of less than 5,000 to the square mile, w hich so generally prevailed in 1 850. ( )n the lower east side ol Manhattan there was in 1 020 a considerable area containing an average ol more than 200,000 people to the square mile. From another map showing population in 1900 it appears that in portions of this same district there were then over 300,000 to the square mile, but during the next two decades this average was reduced by the destruction of main- tenements in order to provide approaches to the East River bridges. The apparent decrease is also partly due to the fact that the census figures for 1920 were given by considerably larger areas. Spots of great population density have developed above Central Park, along the upper East River, in the W illiamsburg and Brownsville Sections of Brooklyn, and in por- tions of the Bronx immediately west of the Bronx River. There is still room for a very large population, without crowding, in Eastern Bronx and Queens, and even in portions of the Borough of Brooklyn, while nearly all of the Borough of Richmond and very large areas in New Jersey still have fewer than 5,000 people to the square mile. PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS MWM'Mi mm i lift ** Legend Population per Square Mile LESS THAN 5000 3000 TO (0.000 MAP OF NEW YORK CITY & CONTIGUOUS TERRITORY 5M0WING RELATIVE DENSITIES OF POPULATION ACCORDING TO ^ | U.S. CENSUS Or 1920 'O,ooo to 25,000 ?*00o TO 50,000 1 V 50.000 TO 7S00O > 200,000 ;oo.ooo c Figures in circles (5) indicate assembly districts mall counties of NewYor* City except Richmond where tney represent wards Boundaries oi/tside New Vorfc City show catir'rM and i"Tor oyiI divisions PLAN Of NEW YORK AND ITS tN VI RONS 13 Op UtflON AI- PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS TRUNK LINK HIGHWAYS PUBLIC highways still constitute the most important moans of communica- tion between different parts of the area under study. The importance of the public road for this purpose may have decreased with the development of railroads, but as road surfaces have been improved, and motor vehicles, both for pleasure riding and for transport, have come into general use, the public high- way has again assumed first place as a means of communication. The map on page 1 5 shows what might be considered trunk line highways of the district. It includes but a small proportion of the well-improved roads, and many of the heavily traveled roads are omitted. It is designed simply to show main traffic lines that connect important centers and that carry, and will always continue to carry, a large volume of miscellaneous traffic. The plan, at first glance, appears to be altogether lacking in symmetry and to be incapable of representa- tion by a theoretical diagram such as is commonly used in planning studies. Further examination, however, will show that there is what might be called a major axis in the Albany Post Road on the easterly side of the Hudson and following Broadway (Manhattan), the ferry to Staten Island, the Amboy Road to Tottenville, and, crossing to Perth Amboy, following the old New York- Philadelphia Stage Route to Princeton, Trenton, and Philadelphia. Inner and outer circumferential routes can also be readily traced — one across Long Island and Long Island Sound from Rockville Center to Rye, and then through White Plains, Tarrytown, Nyack, Suffern, and Morristown, to Perth Amboy and Atlantic Highlands, and an outer route from Patchogue to Port Jefferson, by ferry to Bridgeport, and then by way of Brewster, Newburgh, Lake Hopatcong, and Somerville to Asbury Park. [ 14] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS [ 15 ] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS THEORETICAL DIAGRAM OF MAIN ROADS X effort is frequently made to reduce to a geometrical or, at least, a sym- metrical figure the street system of a city or the road system of a district. Notwithstanding the complexity of the general highway plan of this territory, such a theoretical diagram can be produced, although the main axis is a curved line. There is very little distortion so far as the location of the controlling points is concerned. Of course, the roads connecting them follow neither the straight lines nor the symmetrical curves which are shown. The broken lines indicate direct connections which do not exist but which would be desirable. On the westerly side of the Hudson River there is a somewhat more direct route, closely paralleling the main axis, but avoiding the ferries. This is indicated by the straight line between Nyack and Metuchen. The plan shows how intimately the different portions of this district can be, and in many cases already are, connected with each other. It suggests the possibility of substitut- ing more direct lines than are afforded by the present roads. There are, in many cases, very serious obstacles to the construction of such lines as, for example, between Brewster and Fishkill, where a long detour is at present necessary around the Fishkill Mountains. [ 16] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS TRAFFIC DKNS1TY ON MAIN ROADS HE volume of traffic on the main roads lias increased, and is still increas- ing, to such an extent that driving on them is attended not only with discomfort hut with positive danger. The diagram on page 19 indicates the volume of vehicular traffic on the principal highways radiating from the most densely populated area — New York City (except Staten Island), Hudson County, and Newark. This area is indicated by vertical section lines. The width of these strips shows, by scale, the number of vehicles passing different points during the busiest hour of the day. As these lines approach the city the strips tended to overlap and they could not be carried further than indicated. They do not all represent actual counts of traffic. Main- such counts, however, were taken at various points in the States of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut by State Highway and County Road Departments, and by men employed for that purpose by the Physical Survey. The volume of traffic represents what might be called the peak load, and in comparing different results it was soon discovered that counts taken at different seasons of the year, on different days of the week, and at different hours of the day, were not comparable. It was therefore necessary to establish, by observation and actual counts, certain ratios which could be applied to observations taken at different times and for differ- ent periods of time. The results shown by the diagram are fairly accurate and certainly indicate the need of study to determine the best location for alternate routes and by-passes to cut out congested centers. Motor transport is increasing rapidly and must be considered in any com- prehensive plan. One of the greatest sources of danger on heavily traveled roads is due to the presence of both light and heavy vehicles and those of dif- ferent speeds on the same roadway. The provision of separate roadways, whether by setting apart portions of existing roads, when widened, or by estab- lishing entirely independent routes, is something that must receive serious consideration. The legends on the maps on pages 19, 25, and 27 are not readily legible, owing to reduction in scale, and are repeated after the descriptive text. Boundaries State — County — Township, City, etc. Ferries Central area, where traffic is too great to be shown at the scale used. I 18 I PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS ^> UNION THEOliOUICAL SKMINAHV, GENEBAL P1AN NEW YORK^- ENVI5QN5 PRINCIPAL HIGHWAYS farm ("f MT TFRlEi f +■ I TO I vHS MUNICIPAL R«.^LRVOIR\ 'V>T-2> .' > '-.iff ' , ■ &■ <■ ' v .- 3p** ■.kt-s.'t' PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS envtRAi M (rvtt i» r a\t * f st NASS PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS 'te- rn P S06 PIAN S&UFFQLK COUNTIES THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE REGION HE region of 5,500 square miles within the area under study has a varied topography and includes many places of rare natural beauty. The elevations range from the low-lying coasts of Long Island and New Jersey to the Highlands of the Hudson, reach- ing an altitude of more than 1,600 feet above sea level, while nearer the present city of New York and the populous centers of New Jersey are the sharply defined ridges of the Orange or Watchung Mountains, and back of these again the hills about Lake Hopatcong, which itself is nearly 1 ,000 feet above tide water. There are many other lakes scattered over the district, some of them being the reservoirs from which the large cities draw their water supplies. The deeply indented shores of Long Island Sound, the wooded hills of Staten Island, the Palisades of the Hudson, and beyond them the Highlands, are picturesque features which are rarely found in such close proximity to large centers of population. On the opposite page is a general map of the region, which indicates quite clearly the physical features which have been briefly referred to. ONG ISLAND ICAI % PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS PASSENGER TRAIN SERVICE IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT IN studying this great area of 5,500 square miles it is necessary to see to what extent people having their homes outside of the most populous centers add to the day population of these centers and have to be carried, not only to them by trunk line railroads, but from point to point within the central area by the local transit systems. A fair indication of the amount of this movement is indicated by the diagram on page 23 showing the passenger train service. The widths of the several strips are proportioned to the number of passenger trains operated by the various railroads each twenty-four hours. While this does not represent the passenger-carrying capacity, or even the actual movement of per- sons, it will give a pretty good indication of its magnitude. The increase in the width of the strips as they approach the city terminals shows the large commuting business done by the several railroads, even within the restricted area included in the map. This is especially noticeable on Long Island, where the Long Island Railroad has terminals at the Pennsylvania Railroad Station in Manhattan and at the Atlantic Avenue Station in Brooklyn. The number of trains brought into these stations by that system has increased so greatly of late that the Pennsylvania Railroad Company has appealed to the city to build one or more rapid transit lines from Jamaica, to pick up the Long Island passengers and distribute them through the city, claiming that, if this is not done, they will be crowded out of the Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal, which was built to accommodate long-distance traffic. [22] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS 23 j&Y OF y r S? UNION W fftfftLOOlCAL slOMLNAttV, PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS RAILROAD COMMUTING FARE ZONKS IT IS generally conceded that families should be encouraged to live as far as possible outside the congested centers, where land is cheaper and where their environment, while it might be less exciting, would be more wholesome. Such a movement is quite evident in most populous districts. It is said that the County of London has, within the last ten years, given up 500,000 of its popula- tion, who have gone further out. The problem confronting the family is whether or not the amount which might be saved by lower rents or cheaper homes in out- lying districts would be more than absorbed by commuting rates between home and business. The map on page 25 is intended to show just how far such a family could go at a certain daily expense for travel. The commuting zones at 5 cent intervals, and marked 15 cents, 20 cents, and so forth, show the cost of a one- way trip, on a basis of a total yearly commuting cost spread over 300 days in the year. Those who were kept in mind in preparing this chart were the men and women of modest means, whose vacations are probably limited to a fortnight, and who must make the round trip from home to place of employment about 300 times a year. An examination of this diagram would enable such persons to determine quite readily how far out from the great center they could afford to go to make their homes. Very few of those in the cities can live within walk- ing distance of their work. Their movement to and from their places of employ- ment is attended with discomfort and the city transit facilities are greatly over- taxed. Some of the railroads may not be prepared to accommodate more com- muters at their existing terminals on Manhattan Island, but with the solution of the problem of terminal accommodation and distribution the number of those who can live under more natural conditions should be greatly increased. Boundaries State ■ ■ ■ • County • • Township, City, etc. ~] Area served by New York City Rapid Transit System. Note: Circles show distances from New York City Hall. [ 24] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS RAILROAD COMMUTING TIM K ZONKS BUT it is not only the question of cost that will determine whether the city worker can establish his or her home outside the city: time is an impor- tant element and the illustration shows the amount of time required to travel between various outlying point- and the Manhattan terminals of the several railroads. It may he contended that this diagram does not show so favorably as it should the commuting facilities to and from certain suburban points. That is true if the best trains with club-cars were to be used to deter- mine the time, but, as stated in connection with the commuting fare map, the persons in mind in preparing it are those who have to be at their offices, or places oi business, by nine o'clock and cannot leave them until five, nor can they afford, if living in New Jersey, to leave the train at the New Jersey Terminal and pay an extra fare to save a few minutes by taking a tunnel train, when they can without extra charge reach the ferry terminal on the New York side of the river. The diagram shows that there are certain points further out which enjoy good express service and which can be reached in as short a time as others which are nearer. It also shows the handicap in time of certain nearby points, owing to inferior train service or bad connections, handicaps which might be readily removed. A decision as to the location of a home w ill involve ques- tions of expense and time. The preceding map indicated the cost of commut- ing to various distances. This one shows how much of the day must be given up to railway travel. The two together may help in reaching a conclusion. Boundaries County • • Township, City, etc. Note: Circles show distances from New York City Hall. [26] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS PARKS AND OPEN SPACES ONE of the most important features of a regional plan is the provision for recreation. The map on page 29 shows the parks, cemeteries, and open spaces in the entire territory. The scale, however, is so small that it is impossible to show, except by symbols, any of them less than 50 acres in area. Cemeteries have been included for the reason that, while not available for pub- lic recreation, they may be considered permanent open spaces; and, looking far ahead, they may some day be converted into actual parks, as has already been done in several cases within the district. The conspicuous feature of this plan is the great Bear Mountain Park, under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. It also shows the excellent system established by Essex County, N. J., and the fine beginning of a Westchester County Park System in the Bronx River Parkway and the Mohansic tract of 1,100 acres lately ceded by the State of New York to West- chester County for park purposes. The shaded area in which is located the sys- tem of reservoirs of the Pequannock Watershed is owned by the city of Newark. Less extensive areas around the various reservoirs of the Croton Watershed are owned by New York City, and consideration should certainly be given to the possibility of making these areas more available to the public. The reservoirs themselves provide a system of lakes of rare beauty, and while the use, by large crowds, of the shores of these lakes for recreation purposes will be inconsistent with the proper security of water supplies for domestic use, it might be possible, without excessive cost for sanitary supervision, to give the public the benefit of limited enjoyment of these areas. [ 28] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS 29 V UNION 0> PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS KXISTING RKCRKATION FACILITIES IN THK HE map on page 31 show s the possibilities ol the more effective use of the publicly owned lands in the Hudson River Valley. It shows both the Bear Mountain Park and the Mohansic Reservation, the great parks of the Borough ot (he Bronx, the Bronx River Parkway, the strips ol park along the westerly side of the Hudson under the jurisdiction of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the system of lakes and reservoirs in the Croton Watershed, and the main highways connec ting them, including the proposed new bridge across the Hudson between Anthony's N'ose and Bear Mountain. By means of this bridge it will be possible tor those on the easterly side of the Hudson and from New England to reach the Ramapo Hills, the New Jersey shore, and the south, without traversing the already overcrowded streets of New York City and without the long delays at the ferries, there being at the present time no highway bridge across the Hudson south of Albany. Realizing the need of adequate connections between the different units of a park system, it is now proposed that the state establish a parkway which w ill connect the northerly end of the Bronx River Parkway at the foot of the Kensico dam with Bear Mountain, by w r ay of Pines Bridge across the Croton Reservoir, Mohansic Park, Peekskill, and the new Hudson River bridge, above referred to. Another state project includes the creation of the Roosevelt Memorial Park and Parkway, the former located on the shore of Oyster Bay and the latter extending from this park to the city line, by way of East Nor- wich, Roslyn, and Manhasset, then following Northern Boulevard and Jackson Avenue through Bayside and Flushing to the Queensboro Bridge and Central HUDSON R1VKR VALLEY Park. [ 30 ] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS 31 UNION IfH'tBOLOGIV A I. PLAN OF NEW YORK AND [ T S E X V I RONS AREA, POPULATION, AND PARKS IN URBAN I IK distribution of area, population, and park spaces, between the present city oi New York, other cities and tow ns of more than 25,000 population, and the remainder oi the territory) is shown by the figures on page 33. Besides the city ot New York, there are 25 other municipalities of over 25,000, lour of which are in New York State, 18 in New Jersey, and three in Connecti- cut. The provision oi park areas in proportion to population varies greatly, with West Iloboken and Perth Amboy at one end of the List and Montclair at the other, the last named having four and one-hall acres of park to each 1,000 ot its population, while Norwalk comes next with four acres. Mt. Vernon and Yonkers would have been well down in the list were it not for the fact that a large proportion of the land acquired for the Bronx River Parkway falls within their corporate limits. The portion-, of the county parks falling within the cor- porate limits of the several municipalities are credited to them, the rest being included in the " balance of area." It is interesting to note that the provision of park areas, in proportion to population, in New York City, corresponds almost precisely with the average of all towns of over 25,000 population. In the com- parative distribution, indicated by sectors of circles, the inclusion of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission's reservations gives such a large per- centage to the area outside of the towns and cities that an additional diagram is included which gives the proportions excluding interstate parks. AND RURAL DISTRICTS PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS ACRES of PUBLIC PARKS WITHIN INCORPORATED LIMITS Cities and Towns ofover 25,000 Population N ew York State. (In order New York City pop ) Yonkers ZZZ. Mt Vernon New Pochelle Newburgh New Jersey (In order Newark of pop) . „ Jersey City Pater son Elizabeth bayonne Hoboken Passaic East Orange Perth Amboy West Hoboken Orange 7ZZZZ2.7ZZZZZ2.7ZZZ1 7ZZ 7 ZZ Z777,V Z7ZZ 7 ZZ1 ■ 2 — n ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZ3 ; , ,r zzzzzzzzzzzz West New York Montclair Pla infield fteamy Clifton Irving ton Connecticut (m order Bridgeport pop) *)f am f orc l Norwalk ZZZTZZTZZZZZ, ZZZ] zzz Z3 ZZZZx rrzzu New BrunswickYZZZZZZZZZXZZZZZZZZZ, ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZ '//////Z ZZ. ZZZZZZ • | — i — i ZZZTZZZZZZZZZc PER I0OO POPULATION ! H 3_ ZZZZZZZZZZZZ 7 Zl 7 77/^77'. tzz$ ZZaZZZZZZZZZZ^ZZ Y ^zv^^~^ ^^tzz7zzizzz ^ ~~7zn YZZtZZ'ZZZ zzz7zz\zzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzx HZ I] ZZZZZZ ZZZZZZ7ZZZZZZZZZZZZYZ17ZZZZZZZZI 7ZZZZZZZZZZZ7ZZZZZIZZZZZZZZZZ Bronx Pn er ancte N Y City Acres per 1000 Population. COMPARATIVE DISTRIBUTION □ Other Cities over 25,000 Population C 3 Balance of Area AREA POPULATION PARK AREAS DIAGRAM 5H0WING RELATION OF PARK5 AND POPULATION I N NEW YORK AND ENVIRONS PARKS EXCLUSIVE OF INTER STATE PARKS PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS PHYSICAL SURVSY- 130 £ ?2'»5T MOTE ParMs of /ess, than Owe Acre are excluded PLAN OF N E W Y ORK A \ ! > I I S ENVIRON S COMPARISON OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROVISION FOR RECREATION FROM the diagram on page 33 it appears that many of the towns and cities have made quite liberal provision for public recreation, as judged by the open spaces, whether in proportion to total area or population. Outside ol t lie larger centers of population tin-re is a great disparity between open spaces and recreation facilities available to the public, and those established by golf and country clubs for the exclusive use of their own members. This is distinctly shown by the map on page 35. It will be seen that the only large public recreation spaces on the easterly side of the Hudson River are the Mohansic reservation in Yorktown and the Bronx River Parkway. In Westchester County alone there are at least 38 such clubs, holding 5,230 acres, some leased, but for the most part owned, with a total estimated value of about SI 1,000,000. The number of such clubs is constantly increasing. Attention has repeatedly been called to the need of adopting a policy of acquiring strips or zones of vacant land outside present populous areas, which would form breaks in the continuous outward extension of the built-up areas. In the progress report of February 1, 1923 (see page 5), it was suggested that this might be accomplished by the acqui- sition of some of the properties occupied by these clubs, with intervening agri- cultural or wooded tracts, the clubs and the agricultural land being leased back to the present owners or occupants, under long-time leases, for rentals which would meet the interest and amortization charges on the cost of the property, thus insuring their reservation as open spaces with practically no additional tax burden. PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS [ 35 ] PLAN OF NEW YORK AND I T S E N V I R O N S CONGESTION IN N E W YORK THEATKR DISTRICT HE tendency toward segregation ol various kinds of business, and even of amusements, and the complications which sometimes result, are shown by the plan on page 37, indicating the number of theaters within the district immediately served by the Times Square and the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Streel subway stations. Between Thirty-eighth and Fifty-first Streets and between Sixth and Eighth Avenues there arc no fewer than 78 places of assembly of this kind. Their combined seating capacity is 95,294. Forty-four of them, with a seating capacity of 55,911, are within a circle having a radius of 1 ,000 feel from the center of Broadway and Forty-second Street. Let us assume that of the 56,000, 35,000 come from the Times Square station between 8.00 and 8.30 P. M. From this station [nterborough and Brooklyn Rapid Transit trains run bot h north and south, while a shuttle train runs to the ( .rand ( Central Sta- tion and the east side Interborough line. If two- thirds of the 35,000 people were to arrive or leave within a single quarter of an hour, and if they were distributed equally between the two north-bound, two south-bound, and one east-bound lines, it would mean that 4,700 persons, or 940 every three minutes, would be carried in each of the rive directions. As the numbers going north, south, and east v ary greatly, there are much confusion and discomfort. To visualize this problem a little more clearly, attention is called to the fact that the 95,294 people attending the 78 places of entertainment, when all seats are occupied, more than equals the combined population ol Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, the Pelhams, Bronxville, Tuckahoe, and Scarsdale, as reported in the l c >20 census. It is also more than the total population of Orange, East Orange, and South Orange, and is almost precisely equivalent to that of Passaic, Clifton, and Eittle Falls. If the practice prevailing in London of issuing build- ing permits for structures containing places of public assembly only after reports from the police and fire departments as to the effect upon traffic and the fire hazard had prevailed in Xew York, it would have prevented the conditions which are to be seen every night in this part of the city. PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS PLAN OF NEW YORK AND I T S ENVIRONS PROGRESS OF ZONING IN THE TERRI TORY WITHIN THIRTY MILES OF NEW YORK HE last illustration shows the extent to which the zoning idea has spread in the vicinity of New York since that city, in 1916, adopted its compre- hensive zoning plan. It may be well to state briefly what zoning is. h has been defined as "the application of common sense and fairness to the public regulations governing the use of private real estate. It is a painstaking, honest effort to provide each district or neighborhood, as nearly as practicable, with just such protection and just such liberty as are sensible in that particular dis- trict." This figure shows the incorporated and mapped areas within a radius of 30 miles of the New York City Hall, those in which zoning plans were being prepared in January, 1923, and those which had actually adopted such plans. The fact that over 50 of the municipal corporations in this district had already adopted suc h plans is significant. The public attitude toward zoning in New York City is indicated by the amendments to the zoning plans which have been made since they were first adopted. During the first three and one-half years, or up to the close of 1919, property owners were still somewhat timid and uncer- tain of the effects of zoning. During this period a number of amendments were made, of which 73 tended to relax the requirements while 20 strengthened them. In marked contrast to this record is that of the two following years, during which 27 amendments made the restrictions less rigid and 38 made them more so. Inasmuch as these changes were all based upon petitions, it is apparent that property owners are more and more disposed to favor the upholding and strengthening of the zoning requirements. If objections to zoning still persist, they may fairly be said to be individual and not to represent the attitude of important groups in the community. PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS * Ordinance provides for Use' regulations only Zoned Communities Bogota, N.J Bound Brook, N.J. Bronxville. N.Y. Caldwell. N.J. Cliffside Park. NJ. Within the 30 -mile Cr an ford. N.J. East Orange, N.J. Elizabeth, N.J. Fort Lee. N.J. Garden City. N.Y. Garwood. N.J. Glen Rid6e,N.J. *Great Need Estates. NY. ♦Hawthorne. N.J. Circle HiMside,N.J Hoboken. N.J. Irvm^ton, N.J. Jersey City, N,J. Kearney, N.J. ♦ Leonia, N.J. ♦ Linden, N.J. Lon6 Branch, N.J. Madison. N.J. ♦ Maplewood, N.J. Montclair. N,J, Mr. Vernon,N.Y. Newark, N.J. New Rochelle, N.Y. New York City, N.Y.*Verona. N.J. North Pelham.N.Y. Westfield, N.J. lutley, N.J. West Hoboken. N.J. West Oan^e.N.J White Plains. N.Y. Yonkero.N.Y. BoonTon, N J Irvin6ton,N.Y Larcnmont.NY MamaronecVlown.NY (unincorporjld pirt | Port Chester. NY Riifefield fark.NJ Ridgewood. N J Tenady. N J. Orange, N.J. Passaic. N.J. Paterson. NJ. Pelham.N.Y Pelham Manor. N.Y Railway. N.J. Roselle. N.J. Roselle Parlt.N.J. Rutherford. N.J. Rye, N.Y. Scarsdale, N.Y. South Orange. N.J Teaneck.N.J. Totowa. N.J. Miles PLAN OF NEW YORK AND ITS ENVIRONS PHYSICAL SURYEY-I30E.22-ST. Zoning Plan bein§ prepared Zoning Plan adopted Boundaries Note State Circles indicate distances County from New York City Hall Township. City etc. [39] Wm. F. Fell Co.. Printers Philadelphia