the transit and harbor facilities of the port of New York.5 At that time, all but two of the major intercontinental railroads had their terminals on the Jersey waterfront, so all of their freight had to be transported across the harbor by boat to distribution terminals in Manhattan.6 But, by the time World War I broke out, the chaos of multiple transportation lines and transshipment delays became very evident. As a result, a New York-New Jersey based Port and Harbor Development Commission was established in 1917, and, by 1921, the New York Port Authority was given a legislative mandate to create a plan for the physical development of the port.7
Although New York was finally beginning to learn how to plan on a regional scale, the state still had no regional authority which could implement proposed improvements. That would soon change. By 1922, five regional planning bodies took shape in New York: the Niagara Frontier Planning Board, the Onondaga County Regional Planning Board, the Capitol District Regional Planning Association, the Central Hudson Valley Regional Planning Association, and the Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs.8 of these five planning bodies, the Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs made the most observations about how fast and to what extent a city should grow.
The Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs began compiling the information necessary for an economical and industrial survey that would analyze the fundamental reasons for the existence of New York. Before long, three major surveys were completed: one mapping the physical conditions of the New York area which gave special attention to the railway and water transportation network; a second one with a legal survey outlining the process of zoning, excess condemnation, shore rights, and land under water; and a third and final survey of social and living conditions stressing the factors that produce a healthy and satisfying housing and ...