Page:John Nolen--New ideals in the planning of cities.djvu/116

NEW IDEALS IN THE PLANNING OF tent a speculator in land. Values may not rise as much as estimated, and the increase may be offset by carrying charges. It should be added, however, that the power of excess condemnation has great value as a means of control in connection with the environment of an important public improvement. Through the purchase and resale the municipality has an opportunity to place effective restrictions upon the use of the private property adjacent to the improvements carried out by the public.

The financial methods proposed for getting more for the community's outlay and for making the community's money go farther presupposes a city plan. Such a plan will divide the city by differentiated building regulations, and thus increase the desirability of each district or zone for its purposes, and thus also increase municipal revenue. A plan for the extension of thoroughfares and for rapid transit lines for large cities will tend to stabilize real estate values, and make special assessment for benefit derived more equitable to the property owner, and more remunerative to the community. The chief financial return of city planning, however, is in the prevention of error of physical development and the consequent waste of community money.

A brief list of references of special value is as follows: Annual Reports on the Comparative Financial Statistics of Cities and Towns, by Charles F. Gettemy, Boston, 190612; R. M. Kurd's "Principles of City Land Values," New York, 1905; N. P. Lewis' paper on "Paying the Bills for City Planning," Proceedings of the Fourth National Conference on City Planning, 1912; the paper by Lawson Purdy on "Condemnation, Assessments and Taxation in Relation to City Planning," Proceedings of Third National Conference on City Planning, 191 t; and the volume on "Carrying Out the City Plan," by Flavel Shurtleff and F. L. Olmsted, 1914.