Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/465

 THE FIRST GERMAN MUNICIPAL EXPOSITION 447

building on the opposite side, with connecting streets running through. Stuttgart has grown out as far as its wall of hills will permit, and has consequently abandoned the "open" building plan of detached houses, with gardens, for a more compact arrangement. She is now building in all the vacant space, in a manner reminiscent of the wall-bound towns. Whether or not it may be found possible to build beyond the hills, and to develop transportation facilities to connect such future suburbs with the city, cannot be decided without further knowledge of the district than could be got from the relief map exhibited.

Not only increase of municipal area, but also new building operations, were exhibited by many cities. In Dresden the greatest number of these have lately been in the outlying dis- tricts; in Berlin, in every direction from the periphery of the old city; in Miinchen, the new building is scattered all through the city.

Charlottenburg is planning for new districts which shall be wide enough to facilitate traffic ; and in neighborhoods intended for dwellings, front gardens are prescribed. Not only laying out and building streets must be considered, but repairing and cleaning as well. Then come sewer systems, water systems, gas and electricity systems and these all require maintenance.

When building laws prescribe detached or semi-detached houses with roomy garden space on all sides, the price of dwell- ings must rise, not only because the larger building lot and the detached house are dearer, but because services such as those just mentioned, together with increased expense for inspection, fire and police protection, etc., increase the expenses of the city, and taxes are higher. Under such conditions rents must rise, and then we are confronted with the housing question. Stutt- gart, finding this state of affairs, and also, as has been stated, being cramped for space by the surrounding hills, has gone back to the old system of building houses close together.

In the old city streets modern traffic is impossible, and so, for the proper development of the city's trade, old, closely built city blocks must be cut through, narrow streets must be widened and hygienic requisites must be provided such as sanitary