The city’s potential was clear to civic architect Charles Mulford Robinson, though he acknowledged the city’s previous planning mistakes and ill-conceived design choices, like the grid of wide streets and the “unfortunate spacing” of median “parking strips” on Cascade Avenue. Robinson’s recommendations, reproduced as this book, were formed from his observations described in two reports, "A Report for the City of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and El Paso Good Roads Association" on the Development of the Streets, published in 1905, and "A General Plan for the Improvement of Colorado Springs," presented to City Council on May 29, 1912. Reading Robinson’s 100-year-old observations and recommendations, you may find some of them remarkable and others ridiculous. Looking at Colorado Springs today, the evidence of his vision and the City Beautiful movement philosophy are visible in the landscaping of the streets, the numerous neighborhood parks, and the preservation of the mountain views. Perhaps you will appreciate the forethought of those who cared about the growth and planning of the city. Knowing that you and others care about these issues today, the year 2012 can mark the beginning of another era “characterized by a general civic awakening.”