Founding Ideals of Greenbelt



Greenbelt, Maryland was designed under the New Deal "Greentown" plan and came into existence in the late 1930s. It was the federal government's response to the seemingly unsociable existence of residents of large cities and secluded suburbs. Greenbelt was intended to "encourage a family and community life which... [was] better than they [currently] enjoy[ed] (United States). This initial desire greatly affected the layout and planning of the original city.
Economically, Greenbelt was intended as "a community primarily for families of modest income" (Mayer, 1). It was not designed as an exclusive community for the wealthy. Instead, it sought to offer the security and beauty of a suburban environment to those who normally could not afford it. This principle gave the community a socialistic character- access to resources was guaranteed to those of low income. Since each citizen desired to benefit the most from the resources of the experimental town, a sense of community easily developed.
The city was designed to encourage social interaction and community integration. A primary goal of the planners was the "creation of a relatively complex civic entity rather than a suburb" (Mayer, 8). This was provided for by a town center that included a municipal center, shopping center, elementary school, library, and large playing fields. Every segment of the population was able to access these services. This resulted in "minimal commuting, through nearby or self-contained employment, recreation, and shopping" (Mayer, 1). The population was thereby encouraged to enjoy the natural surroundings and public facilities of the town, with the least amount of physical effort.
Children were considered greatly in the planning and overall composition of the city. The safety of the children was provided for through "use of the neighborhood superblock as a design element and for the provision of internal safety from traffic" (Mayer, 8). Recreational areas were central to the layout of the residential dwellings. Each segment of dwellings were arranged around a park or playground and were connected through a series of paths. This allowed for the easy access to recreational areas for children, without having to venture far from their homes. The planning of the streets was also crucial in providing a safe environment for the children. "Safe streets" were designed with underpasses for children to cross without having to navigate through traffic. These design elements gave Greenbelt a truly unique quality and appearance for its time. Karen Shwartz, in her project #3 homepage, analyzes the original architectural layout of Greenbelt through the perspective of the city's founding ideals. Her analysis discusses the functional designs of many of the city's architectural and physical features.
The economic, physical, and social ideals of Greenbelt gave it an experimental nature. It attempted to pose a solution to the social structure of the entire nation. The original structure of the town grasped many of these goals firmly. Yet, over time, with the development of the town, the community lost focus of these founding ideals.

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