Sert Stresses Human Dignities In Urban Design, Redevelopment

Urban designers should hold the dignity of man as the central factor in the reshaping of American cities, Jose Sert, Dean of the Graduate School of Design, said in a keynote message to the Urban Design Conference which opened at Fogg Museum yesterday.

"We hope to lay the ground-work at this exploratory conference for the idea of the city of the future," Sert added.

The systems of city planning and redevelopment in four large United States cities were considered in the afternoon. Victor Grulen, noted architect, spoke on the plans for Fort Worth, Texas. The proposed reorganization of this city would radically revise the downtown business center.

Cars and trucks would be excluded to prevent congestion. Six large parking areas and modern highways are planned to surround the center to allow easy access. Though the district will be a purely pedestrian area, Grulen says that there would rarely be more than a two minute walk to any building in the area from the nearest garage. Underground trucking roads and slow moving carts would eliminate the problems of moving heavy baggage and crates.

David L. Lawrence, Mayor of Pittsburgh, spoke on the redevelopment of the "point area" of Pittsburgh. The creation of the Point Park and the development of the Golden Triangle show a basic civic design for Pittsburgh, Lawrence said. He also outlined further projects for slum clearance and redevelopment.

Edmund N. Bacon, executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission discussed "Philadelphia: Neighborhood Projects and Penn Center." He stressed the need for integration of architecture, city planning and administration in designing a program for a city.