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Asheville City Plan, 1922

by
John Nolen (1869-1937)

Asheville City Planning Commission

Nolen was born June 14, 1869 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Girard College and upon graduation in 1884, he worked on the Girard Estate for six years where he earned sufficient money to attend the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.B in 1893 and worked for a short time as superintendent of Onteora Park, in the Catskill Mountains. He worked as the Secretary of the American Society for the Extension of University Teaching from 1893 to 1903 and following that he was accepted into the School of Landscape Architecture  at Harvard where he received his A.M. in 1905. With his new credentials he entered a thirty-year career that included planning and/or development projects in some fifty cities in the United States. Some of the more notable cities are Kingsport, Tennessee, San Diego, California, Mariemont, Ohio, and Roanoke, Virginia, and Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina. He was recognized as a leader in his field and served as the president of the American City Planning, and the International Federation for Housing and Town Planning and was also elected in 1927 as president of the National Conference on City Planning. . In England he was recognized as an honorary member of the Town Planning Institute of England.

Nolen married Barbara Schatt (1872-1954) on April 22, 1896 and they had  four children. John "Jack" Nolen, Jr., the oldest of the children, also worked in city planning and served as the Director of the National Capital Planning Commission in Washington, D.C. John Nolen died of cancer on February 18, 1937 at the early age of sixty-eight.

ENTIRE
FULL TEXT

Asheville can be hub for National Western North Carolina Playground

Survey covers Ashville's History, Physical Aspects, Statistics, Streets, Transportation Business and Industry, Housing, Health, Recreation, Attractions and Public Utilities.

John Burton is City's Founder.

Is Named for Samuel Ashe.

The Automobile is changing the radius of City life.

Asheville needs better Street System, more Parks, a Civic Center.

Western North Carolina is Heart of Southern Appalachian Forest Reserve.

Cooperation of Individuals and Public Agencies can give Asheville benefits of being both Pleasure and Health Resort.

Asheville is Center of Southern Water Power Ares; of Mineral and Forest Resources of South.

2000.000 horse power of water power within 40 miles of City still undeveloped.

Asheville has wealth of resources.

Hotels have international fame.

Golf Clubs have important place in modern resort.

City's Average Elevation is 2,250 feet.

Mountain Section is on High Plateau.

Is Drained by French Broad River.

Railroad follows the valley route.

Swannanoa Valley should be developed for Park purposes to prevent depreciation of high-class residential property.

Normal flow of French Broad is 2 feet on Government Gauge

Asheville's Average Yearly Temperature is 55 degrees.

Climate gives Asheville unique place among Mountain Resorts.

Asheville country is becoming an apple-growing center for which City is logical distributing point.

Population of 50,000 in 1940 is forseen.

Asheville is on Main Lines of Southern Railroad.

Only three grade crossings in City.

Railroads are well located in City but removal of Passenger Station to Biltmore is advocated.

Bus Lines.

Rerouting of certain car lines is proposed to remedy Pack Square congestion.

Dixie Highway is Main Trunk Route through City ; Central and Southern National Highways are also important routes.

State Highways are backbone of Asheville's thoroughfare system.

It is necessary that chief traffic arteries be widened, and improved.

Many other Streets should be widened.

Asheville Street widths are too narrow, but widenings proposed must be conservative.

Adoption of Standard Street Section makes uniformity possible.

New bridge at foot of Hanover Street is suggested.

Traffic Squares at Street intersections will remedy traffic problem.

Where Traffic Squares will be located.

Southside Plaza to be formed at the intersection of Biltmore and Southside Avenues.

A Subway under Jefferson Drive will provide a direct connection from Pack Square to West Asheville.

The proposed Civic Center, on the north side of College Street between Spruce and Oak, will be site for Post Office, Library and Community Building.

Pack Square is Geographical Center of City.

Development at Eastern End of Square will tie in with Civic Center.

Farmer's Exchange at Market and Spruce Streets.

Life of West Asheville centers at Waynesville Avenue and Haywood Road.

Propose Circle at Haywood Road and Hanover Street for West Asheville Community Center.

City Incinerator has good location.,

Montford and Aston Parks are inadequate for City.

Proposed Park System will utilize land which might otherwise become undesirable. Will follow banks of French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers, and include mountainside on East of City.

Parked Drives are part of the plan.

Need for auto drives in City is pointed out.

National beauty spots should be preserved and made easily accessible.

Biltmore Field to be Asheville's play center.

Small Parks in Residential Sections will provide rest places and add to civic beauty.

Enlarged school grounds will serve as athletic and recreation centers.

Four acres is needed for school play ground property.

Every school pupil needs one hundred square feet of play space.

High School playground should be enlarged.

Opening up of Battery Park Hill is great move for City.

Well laid-our subdivisions will add much to City's beauty.

Movement to Suburbs is foreseen.

Store centers are best developed under zone plan.

Apartment houses should be grouped together to protect single family houses.

Sanitariums will not conflict with other property under zone plan.

Biltmore village is fine example of town planning.

Definite section of City is suggested for activities of colored population.

Patton and Biltmore intersection is main business center.

Zoning study will be guide for final ordinance.

Zoning is, however, no panacea for short-sighted city building.

Keynote of Asheville zoning ordinance should be simplicity.

English zoning plans worth copying.

Single and two family homes alone allowed in Residence Districts.

Apartments should go in Business District.

Disposition of country surrounding city is vitally important.

Main objectives of plan are named in summary.

Matters which require early consideration are given.

Anticipate the needs.

The civic center, and Pack Square Extension.

Improve traffic conditions.

Widen the streets.

Establish a park system.

Battery Park Hill.

Plan for negro life.

Safeguard property interests.

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