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 LOCATING THE INTERREGIONAL ROUTES IN URBAN AREAS

The location of interregional highways to serve the city as it is today, no matter what its condition may be, is a comparatively simple task.

Once constructed, however, the interregional highways would be relatively permanent. But cities cannot be said to have attained well organized and relatively permanent form.

Because of these two things—the permanency of the highways and the more or less planless form of the cities—the interregional routes must be so located as to conform to the future shape of the cities, insofar as this can be foreseen, as well as to the existing pattern of urban centers.

American cities of today are surprisingly uniform in their status and condition, although no generalized description can ever adequately portray any one of them. The focal point of them all, however, is the central business district, which contains the large stores and office buildings and is often the cultural and civic center of the urban community. But this “downtown area” is cramped, crowded, and depreciated. Land values are often less than they were 20 years ago.

This center shades off into a secondary business area which merges almost imperceptibly with a large area of mixed land uses and run-down buildings. This is the slum area where living conditions are poor.

Around the slums is an even larger area of residential property in various stages of depreciation. This is the widely discussed “blighted area.” Without the application of effective rehabilitation measures, it will become part of the city’s slums.

Beyond this blighted area lie the newer residential areas. They extend far out beyond the city limits, in the form of widely scattered subdivisions, merging almost imperceptibly into the farm lands.

Interlaced through all of these sections are inadequate highways and streets, and railroads extending into the heart of the city. Along the railroads the city’s industrial plants are located. The newer ones, such as the large war industries, are often found far out in the environs.

While every city contains some admirable features and thoroughly satisfactory parts, rapid expansion and virtual transformation in recent years have produced an unbalanced condition fraught with great economic difficulties. Few cities have managed to grapple successfully with the situation. In nearly all cities great efforts are being made today to restrain excessive decentralization, and to rehabilitate slum and blighted areas.

The plight of the cities is due to the most rapid urbanization ever known, without sufficient plan or control. The result is square mile after square mile of developed city that is functionally and structurally obsolete both as to buildings and neighborhood arrangements.

The automobile has made partial escape from this undesirable state of affairs easy and pleasant for at least some of the population. Suburban home developments have been made attractive largely by 53 9RR00—44——2