Introduction
Regional plans for the development of any particular region should be framed with a vision for the future, taking into account the need of the time and the future requirements. Developmental plans should be comprehensive and there should be provisions for all sorts of development by which all sects of people could benefit. Plans that tend to be one-sided often undermine other major areas of concern and would result in imbalanced development. Critically analyzing the three Graphic Regional Plans, one is convinced of the fact that the first had its emphasis on industrial enterprises; the second tried to supplement the first by emphasizing the areas that were not represented in the first and the third seemed to be having more of a comprehensive nature.
Plan of 1929
The Graphic Regional Plan of 1929 proposed a highly developmental plan for the development of New York City. The proposed plan emphasized new industrial enterprises for the city as it believed that developmental plans should suit the changing need of the time. The plan aimed at making the city the center of all economical activities. The plan rightly evaluates the major developmental factors that are already prevalent in the selected region for the past thirty years and envisages several effective proposals based on future needs.
The plan proposed to construct several regional highways and coordinate them under a complete system, made provisions for port and transportation facilities, create effective air transportation and landing facilities, and develop a considerable number of industrial sites throughout the region. The plan is proposed from a realistic point of view and it aims to conceive “the smaller things that can be done than in dreaming of things that cannot be done” (p. 563).
The second Regional Plan (1968) looks forward to a more comprehensive plan as it tries to address many of the developmental factors that were not represented in the first one. As the first plan was more focused on industrial growth, it did not represent the developmental needs of the middle class and the poor blacks who were racially segregated and did not have remarkable opportunities to develop themselves. Consequently, the plan concentrated more on providing job training and ensured that there are provisions for more public employees to address poverty. The plan also realized the importance of maintaining the ecological equilibrium as a one-sided development based on industrial enterprises would result in imbalance.
The Third Regional Plan
The Third Regional Plan for New York had a larger perspective as it emphasized the need for the development of Equity, Environment, and Economy. It took into account the diverse nature of the people and saw that developmental projects assisted all sects of the society. Provisions were included to ensure public water supplies, farmlands, etc.
John Tierney has brought out some remarkable observations on the developmental projects and plans on Brooklyn and he states that Brooklyn could have developed better had it been left independent. The consolidated developmental plans for the region saw no remarkable changes. As Siegel observed: “an independent Brooklyn would have had to develop the economic assets of its citizens, but instead it has become an object of pity” (Tierney, p. 415); for him, consolidation was not necessary for its survival. No doubt, they “felt like victims of an imperial expansion they had tried and failed to hart” ( Gotham- a History of New York City to 1898[1]. Imperial City, Ch.69).
The underlying reason for the failure of the proposed plans on Brooklyn was that the plans were not suited to the region as they were modeled on the developmental plans for New York or Manhattan. It was not even affordable for the Brooklynites to pay for their basic services under the changed circumstances.
Calvin Tomkins came out with a comprehensive plan for the development of New York City and he offers several practical guidelines for the formulation of effective plans. He suggested that the plan should be for the good of the city as a whole rather than for the interest of the individual. For him, any effective plan should not be a fixed one; it should have the flexibility to grow and change with the changing conditions and needs of the time. He observed that inconsistency and non-continuity in administration is the major threat to the success of the plan and that the plan should reflect public opinion and should be developed “by criticism and encouragement from them” (Tomkins, p. 467).
Thus, a close reading of the given texts convince one that there are a lot of aspects to be taken into account when a developmental plan is undertaken and all plans should be followed up to meet the changing needs of the time.
Bibliography
General Retrospect and Summary, from The Graphic Regional Plan of 1929.
The Desirability of Comprehensive Municipal Planning in Advance of Development, Calvin Tomkins (1905).
Gotham- a History of New York City to 1898[1]. Imperial City, Ch.69.
Brooklyn Could Have Been a Contender, from The New York Times, John Tierney (1997).
Introduction and Summary, from The Second Regional Plan (1968).
A Region at Risk; a Summary of the Third Regional Plan for the New York- New Jersey- Connecticut Metropolitan Area Regional Plan Association (1996).