Public Landscapes of the New Deal:

1. How did President Roosevelt respond to the Great Depression? What were some of the actions taken. Why was his program called the "New Deal".

He took a proactive approach as opposed to the previous President, Hoover. He built places.

2. In addition to the financial crisis, what other catastrophy did the nation face?

The Dust Bowl. Inappropriate land use led to the Dust Bowl. Some dust clouds swept to the Atlantic. People fled en masse to California

3. What were the three programs created to solve the environmental problems; how did they work?

-Taylor Grazing Act. Prohibited further homesteading and dedicated remaining eligible land to controlled grazing.
-Removal of substandard acres. 11.3 million acres removed from agricultural production.
-Prarie States Forestry Project. Shelter-belt built from Texas to Canadian border. Basically built a bunch of trees from Texas to the Canadian border. Slowed down winds so dust wouldn't flow.

4. What was the before and after situation for landscape architects?

Peopled were enamored with the Italian villas. People tried to make that into public works. They were very lavish and beautiful. With the Depression, began the demise of large country estates and lavish public work commissions. With their fall, the New Deal was there for them. The New Deal let them understand the plight of the modern American. Alphabet Agencies (CCC).

5. Describe the Recreation Demonstration Project; list its goals.

Another one of FDR's Alphabet Agencies. The RDA's were receivers of the land from the removal of substandard acres. They wanted to find the most worthless, non-productive land available. Then they would remove the people from the land. Then they would restore the land to bring about ecological health and to serve as recreation destinations for the city's underprivileged. These recreation areas were to be built by the CCC.

Goals:
-Give a new start to subsistence farmers
-Rehabilitate the wasteland
-Offer recreation destinations to urbanites
-Prove that a well-organized program focused on sound land management policies would benefit everyone

6. How did the RDAs compare to state parks?

RDA's are parks with soul. RDA's were located in the country's most dismal areas. They were basically started from scratch with little to work with. State parks are often located in areas of extreme beauty. RDA's were located less than 50 miles of a city. RDA's have campfire locations and cabins to facilitate group activities.

7. In what way was the term "dice-throw planning" an inaccurate statement?

Dice-throw planning assumes that there was no thought in choosing the camps, when in actuality, a great deal of thought was put into them. The designs accommodate the land. The land follows the contours of the slopes. The cabins are strategically placed to not face one another to give a sense of independence. Each cabin was given individuality.

8. How do you know you are hiking through an RDA today?

You'll know if it's an RDA if there are cabins.