Scope and Content Note
The papers of Yousef Waffa contain ten scrapbooks compiled during the span of 1932 to 1934, presumably while he was a student at University of California, Berkeley. The scrapbooks take an academic approach by first establishing historical contexts and philosophies behind urban development in regards to traffic and streets, utilities, mass transit, ports, parks, zoning, and public buildings. Waffa uses these contexts to document various cities and subdivisions across the country during the nascent stages of the New Deal era. Many of the volumes contain original photographs and blueprints, while others contain published maps, brochures, and magazine cutouts. These photographs and printed matter showcase specific examples of the landscaping and development being used at the time.
The first portion of the “Parks and Parks Organizations” volume expounds on the philosophies of Frederick Law Olmstead and Charles Eliot in regards to park and recreation development and provides an overview of their incorporation in urban planning. Waffa uses a portion of this volume to elaborate on the National Park Service and its policies and organization, before moving on to documenting Golden Gate Park of San Francisco, Calif., and multiple smaller parks within Los Angeles and Pasadena, Calif.
The two volumes titled “Garden Design” continue Waffa’s focus in California, focusing on the design planning of large estates, garden architecture, lawn construction and upkeep, planting of trees and shrubs, special purpose gardens, outdoor theaters, and public gardens including the Henry E. Huntington Estate (now Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery) and the Bernheimer Estate Japanese gardens. Aside from elaborating on the fundamental philosophies of estate and garden design, Waffa photographed specific examples of many private homes throughout metropolitan California including Menlo Park, Woodside, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Hope Ranch, Palos Verdes Estates, Bel Air, and Pasadena.
The “City and Subdivision Planning” volume is also focused entirely on California, though shifting to the development of subdivisions within cities alongside regional and county planning. Highlighted in this volume are: Saint Francis Wood of San Francisco, Calif., Baywood of San Mateo, Calif., Hope Ranch of Santa Barbara, Calif., Palos Verdes Estates and Bel Air of Los Angeles, Calif.
The four volumes titled “City Planning” begin in Volume 1 with a historical overview of urban development covering ancient, medieval, and renaissance cities, before turning to modern design philosophies in the United States. Volume 1 serves as a general overview of the concepts and examples used in the proceeding volumes, which focus on specific cities across the country and their unique approaches to city planning. Volume 2 of “City Planning” documents Chicago, Ill., Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbus, Ohio. Chicago is described in detail, beginning with Daniel Burnham’s city planning before moving on to the then-ongoing “Century of Progress International Exposition” World’s Fair. Waffa also documents Chicago’s Rosehill and Graceland Cemeteries and their landscaping. Volume 3 of “City Planning” details Denver, Colo., Detroit, Mich., and Indianapolis, Ind. The majority of this volume is dedicated to Denver, with particular focus on both mass transit and the Denver Planning Commission’s planning of street layouts, city parks, and recreational facilities. Volume 4 of “City Planning” explores Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis, Mo., Madison, Wis., and Milwaukee, Wis.
Yousef Waffa’s “City Planning of the Capital of the United States” details Washington D.C. and carries the same approach of expounding upon the history and approaches to urban planning as the previous four “City Planning” volumes. Housing, zoning and parks are a particular focus in this volume.
The “Parks and Park System of the Metropolis” volume focuses on New York City and its five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island (called Richmond in this volume). This volume focuses on the development and design of the city's parks and playgrounds.