Duke University Libraries Digital Collections

Search all Digital Collections:

58

When your sweetheart shopward wanders, Mingling deep in fashion's stream, Overhead the fireman ponders And lets off a cloud of steam. Then the jovial iron worker, While your fears you fondly lull, Swiftly drops a ton of metal Down upon your hapless skull. Up above are myriad dangers. Underneath a helpless crowd; Everywhere, both friends and strangers By monopoly are cowed. Blinded visions, ruined dresses Broken heads and thoughts of -(hell), Are among the mad distresses Wrought upon the Brooklyn "L". But we must have rapid transit In this town at any cost, Take a walk - but if you chance it Count yourself among the lost."

59

The Nature of Cities by Hilberseimer 1955 Paul Theobald

p 112 quote of Dr. Jonathan Foreman from "Cities are Abnormal"

"Cities have grown rapidly, without intelligent planning; indeed the rapid and disorderly growth is responsible for many of the undesirable elements in city life. It has produced poorly designed streets that are congested with unnecessary traffic and full of danger, an atmosphere that is filled with noxious gases, dust, dirt, and smoke - a blanket of smog which shuts out the health giving sunshine. Disturbed mental poise and disordered social habits have been engendered by loss of sleep, malnutrition, and frustration... Men must pay for living in cramped quarters and interdependent environments."

page 192

"The street and block system on which our cities are built is as old as recorded history and probably even older. The function of this system has been the same all through time: it serves to group houses together in blocks and to connect them to each other and to other parts of the city by a street system. This system functioned relatively well until the coming of the motor vehicle made it out of date and dangerous. The speeding automobile requires that we replace this antiquated plan by one which eliminates, insofar as possible, the death trap intersection."