Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Quit Complaining, America--Be Thankful, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"I woke up this morning and saw the sun's rays bouncing off of my car parked in the lot across the street. I wish that I had a two-car garage so I could keep both cars indoors."

Public Is Walking Away From Street Malls, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It seemed a radical idea: Close off a street to vehicles in the heart of the downtown and open it only to a single use, that of the pedestrian. In today's parlance, this user-friendly pedestrian street or mall would make the shopping experience more enjoyable, safer, lead to more socializing and make it easier for the pedestrian to shop and buy more. And for a while it worked."

What The Neighbors Will Say: A Quick Guide For Developers, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"They turn out at the public meetings in large numbers, are well organized, frequently have a list of names from the neighborhood and often come with their own legal counsel. They can turn a seasoned lawyer into a quivering and stumbling idiot, cause expert witnesses to lose their confidence and invariably add to the developer's cost, both in time and money.

They are the public opinion."

Columbia A Successful Forerunner Of New Towns, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When center city developments such as Faneuil Hall in Boston, South Street Seaport in New York City, Harborplace in Baltimore and others are mentioned, the name of James W. Rouse is also noted in the same breath. In fact, the word "Rousification" is applied to such downtown developments. It is a tribute to his work in creating these lively retail centers in what were previously dying downtowns."

The Cities And Towns Look Ahead, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"What do you want your community to be? Over the next two and one-half years all communities in the state will be required to address this question, and to come up with a formal statement of what these goals and objectives are to be. And it's about time."

Canada Teaches Some Simple Lessons, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It's an odd person who doesn't marvel at the cities of Canada on his or her return from a visit to our neighbor to the north. Whether this be a trip to Canada's largest city of Montreal or to a Providence-sized Quebec City, people speak of the cleanliness, the safety, the beauty, the good public transport and the relaxed way of living. What accounts for the livability of these urban centers? And is there something that we can learn from the Canadians that we can use in our own cities?"

Cities Are For People, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"A walk in downtown Providence clearly shows that the concentration of bus services at Kennedy Plaza is a scheme to encourage bus ridership and reduce auto use and its pollution, especially along Dorrance Street."

Beating The System By Joining In Buying Homes, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"A recent national survey revealed that 84 percent of Americans would choose a single-family detached house over any other form of housing. Not surprisingly, in this country where we value individual rights, individual ownership of property is a goal to which most aspire and one that most have achieved.

But suppose that goal was not attainable and the only choice was a multifamily structure. And suppose that limited resources meant the only form of ownership was sharing with others. Given this choice, would Americans choose this form of housing?"

Cluster Battle Is Over, But The War Rages On, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The Chinese have a saying: 'Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.' For Americans, the same could be said for zoning in the seemingly never-ending war between residents and developers over land development."

Catching Glimpses Of Life On Westminster Mall, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It is the best place to see what this country is about. It is the one place where people mix freely, whether rich or poor, black or white, young or old. And it is the one 'neighborhood' where residents from all other city neighborhoods meet on a common turf. This meeting place of residents, visitors, college students and workers is, of course, the downtown, or, in professional parlance, the central business district (CBD)."

A Festival To Remember, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It was a joy to experience--perfect weather, a lovely park setting, large friendly crowds and a variety of pasta that would please the palate of any aficionado from Federal Hill."

Downtown Shopping By The Elderly, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It was their last meeting of the year. Some came to hear a lecture on United States foreign policy, some to study French or Shakespeare, some to hear a discussion on Iran, and some came to do line dancing. It was also an opportunity to meet friends, have lunch together, and, perhaps, do some shopping. Who are these actively involved people? They are the elderly."

The Elderly: A Market Resource, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The audience that came to hear the talk was distinctive. All of them were over 65, and nine out of 10 in the group of approximately 90 were women."

Boost For The Downtown: Splendid New Arcade, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The sign hanging from the center of the building reads '7 Days to Opening.' The countdown number changes dailty to remind carpenters, electricians, tile setters, merchants, and a whole host of others that construction must be finished, stocks placed, and shops ready for the Grand Opening of America's first indoor shopping mall--the Arcade.

Saving The Arcade Isn't Easy, But It's Worth All The Trouble, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The word tradition, when associated with an historic Providence, conveys a feeling of continuity and sensitivity to the past. To return to one's community after an extended absence and find the same drugstore, record shop and bank in the same location of familiar old buildings is somehow reassuring. Hometown signifies unchanging, comfortable and memories."

Right Mix For Successful Downtown Renewal, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It is sometimes called a 'big, small town.' It has all the trappings of a large urban center: from outdoor concerts at the Civic Center to a Go-Go lounge; parking problems and traffic congestion, to a Worthinton Street where bars and prostitutes prevail; and vacant old buildings , to new, high-rise office blocks. Sheer numbers alone in this city bring visible evidence of the activities and characteristics common to the downtowns of most large American cities."

Housing Rehabilitation Working In Hoboken, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"One may not believe the argument but George Kohn, executive vice president of Applied Housing Associates, makes an interesting point. His business is housing, and he raises the question of where one should live--Manhattan or Hoboken. Why live on Manhattan's West Side, he asks, and pay $1,000 a month to wake each morning and view the flat, industrial ad boring New Jersey landscape across the Hudson? Why not live in Hoboken, at a $250 monthly rental, and view the fantastic, and only one like it in the world, Manhattan skyline to the east? Thirty cents and a 12-minute PATH subway …

Visit Radburn Where People Turn Their Backs To The Automobile, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"After 50 years it is still one of America's most visited communities, yet there is little for the tourist to see or do. It consists of only 150 acres, as mall part of the municipality of Fair Lawn, with 3,000 persons living in 430 single-family houses and 196 apartments, row houses and duplexes. Except for the sizable expanses of green spaces and differently arranged houses, what is it about Radburn, located just 10 miles west of the George Washington Bridge, that makes it such a unique community?"

Ah, Toronto, You Care About People!, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"They had a band winter here this year and the sunshine and warmer temperatures of Spring did not arrive until April 17. Spring is called a myth here because it comes so late, yet even with severe and long winters there is not one single pothole to be found in the well-maintained streets of the downtown. (Would that Providence could say as much!) This is just one of the many unusual aspects of Canada's largest city, a city decidedly different from those in the U.S. Toronto also offers proof that cities can work, that they have a future, that people …

Cleaning Up The Litter, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The last time the Environmental Protection Agency checked the numbers, it determined that eight million tons of America's annual municipal solid waste load was in the form of bottle and can beverage containers. Much of this was picked up from highways before it eventually reached municipal landfills."

Keystone For Renewal: City Neighborhoods, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"If the heart of a city is its downtown, that central area of concentrated jobs and economic activity, then there is no question that its soul is its neighborhoods, that surrounding community of people and homes. Here in residential areas, the largest, single use of land in cities, one finds the strength, deprivation, flavor and other characteristics which congtribute to the diversity of city life."

'Down City' Has Gone Downhill, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"There is essentially only one downtown in this city-state of Rhode Island, and it is accessible to the entire state in less than one hour's driving time. Yet over the past 10 years the Providence downtown has been in a steady decline, with a limited selection and lowered quality of goods offered from fewer shops. The familiar names of a few years ago, such as Shepards, Gladdings, City Hall Hardware and others, no longer serve as retail focal points in the captial city's central business district (CBD)."

Downtown St. Pete, Where The Pace Slows To A Shuffle, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"This is an unusual city: all of the curbside parking in the downtown is free; they give away the evening paper if the sun doesn't shine; the National Shuffleboard Hall of Fame is located here; and more than one-half of the population is over 44 years of age."

Soul City Deserves To Succeed, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream--a dream of equal opportunity and justice for all. An assassin's bullet prevented him from realizing his dream. His friend and well-known leader in the civil rights movement also had a dream--a dream to build a new town in which the injustices of society would be lessened. Today, in the rolling farmland country of North Carolina, Floyd McKissick is working to fulfill his long sought dream."

Three-Deckers, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"They line many of the streets in the older urban centers of Rhode Island. By present housing standards, they are considered out of fashion. Often in need of repair, built on small lots and crowded together, the multifamily, three-decker is a unique form of urban architecture."