Community-Based Learning Commons^™

Early Observations On The 2000 Census, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The 281.4 million residents of our country counted in 2000 exceeded census estimates of 274.5 by nearly seven million and 13.2 percent, was the largest numeric gain for a decade in the history of census taking, dating back to 1790 when the first one was taken. Swelled by immigrant numbers and holding a steady birth rate, this increase topped the previously highest increase of 28 million of the baby boom years of the 1950s."

Census Bureau Seeks Partners In Business, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"By now you should have seen the advertisements for the U.S. Census Bureau to apprise us of the forthcoming census on April 1, 2000. And there will be plenty more since the Bureau has budgeted $167 million on this push for public awareness, something it has never perviously paid to do."

Time To Trade In Our Island Mentality For A World View, Chester Smolski

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"The 836 residents of New Shoreham (Block Island) don't leave that island very often because of the expense and inconvenience. And some say that there is no need to leave that 10 square miles of beauty because they have everything there, so they are happy to stay.

That type of mentality, of feeling isolated and different from other places, may also be true of the state which, coincidentally, has the name "island" in its name. The reluctance to leave or move across the minuscule box of orders that define this smallest of states means that we turn inward and don't …

One Grim View Of Life For The Aged Is Disputed, Chester Smolski

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""The way the United States treats their elderly is a total disgrace... they cant live on the amount of money from Social Security... It's even worse than the poverty level." Thus spoke a Cranston senior citizen when Vice President Gore was in town recently to discuss the future of Social Security."

Population Numbers Are Necessary To Predict The Future, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"'Demographics explain about two-thirds of everything.' So say David K. Foot and Daniel Stoffman in Canada's best selling nonfiction book for 1996, Boom, Bust and Echo."

James Rouse--A Man For All Seasons, Chester Smolski

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"Donna Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services, said it best: he 'did more to revitalize American cities than anyone this century.' Recognition of this fact came last September when President Clinton awarded him our nation's highest civilian honor--the Presidential Medal of Freedom. James W. Rouse, died at the age of 81, just 17 short days before his 82nd birthday on April 26--a long life with long-lasting achievements by a humanist and an urbanist, a man often referred to as a 'real Christian' and an 'urban visionary.' Where does one begin?"

The Nemesis Of Population Decline, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The recent announcement by the U.S. Census Bureau that Rhode Island was one of only two states (New York being the other) to lose population between July 1, 1994 and July 1, 1995 should come as no surprise. After all, according to Census estimates, we have been losing population for each of the past five years and now have 15,000 fewer residents than we had on July 1, 1990."

Looking At The Future For The Elderly, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Why do we read so much about the elderly in this country? The answer, plainly stated by the Census Bureau, is that 'the growth and change of America's older population may rank among the most important demographic developments of the 20th century.'"

City Ratings Need Closer Scrutiny, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The September issue of Money magazine has just come out with its ninth annual ranking of the best "places" in the country in which to live. Somewhat of a surprise, five of the top ten are in Florida, with Gainsville garnering the number one position, and Jacksonville, Ocala, Fort Lauderdale and Naples in positions 3, 5, 6 and 10 respectively."

The Portland Of The Pacific Beguiles, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When Amos Lovejoy of Boston and Francis Pettygrove of Portland sought to name the clearing in the Oregon forest called 'Stumptown' (because of the tree stumps remaining from frequent fires set by the Indians), each wanted to honor the New England city from which he came. By the toss of a coin, Pettygrove was the winner, and the Portland of the Northeast had its counterpart in the Portland of the Northwest."

Population Density Has Its Good Points, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Many of us love and long for the wide-open spaces, especially when coming from this crowded Northeastern part of the nation. Whenever time and money allow, we seek quiet and serene spaces to get away from the rush and confusion of our crowded landscape."

In Economic Terms People Count!, Chester Smolski

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"The economic picture for Rhode Island is looking brighter. Recent forecasts by Manpower, Inc. and the New England Economic Project (NEEP) paint a positive picture in the short-term future, reflecting on favorable signs evident in the slow recovery of the economy being experienced throughout the region."

Development Is Different For Cities, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It is one of the most powerful trade organizations in the country. The 13,000 members come from the legal, realty, building, financial, governmental, academic and development sectors, and many are CEOs and presidents of their companies and corporations. Most are or represent the decision-making leaders of their various constituencies, and they are the ones who make things happen in the land development of this country. So when the Urban Land Institute (ULI) meets to discuss the issues affecting this nation, one is well-advised to be there."

Glory Days Of Suburbia Are Over, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Most Rhode Islanders would undoubtedly agree with Donald Wyatt's sterling endorsement of suburbia (Commentary Page, Sept. 7) and many would envy the wonderful experience he says he has had living in Warwick these past 40 years. After all, the suburbs are the habitat of most Rhode Islanders as well as most other Americans and, it sis presumed, these folks live there through choice."

Coping With Car Congestion, Chester Smolski

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"Ah, the joy of the automobile! Driving with the windows closed to eliminate outside noise and to get the full effect of the four-speaker stereo while listening to Sibelius, Brooks or Franklin, depending on one's taste; sitting in seats more comfortable than those in the living room at home; and taking in the colorful foliage along this country road in the rural wester part of the state where we are the only car on the road--how could life be any better??

The Mobile Society, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Americans are a highly mobile society: One in six American moves every year. This is nearly twice the rate of Britain and almost three times that of Japan and Ireland."

Providence's Unending Quest For Cash, Chester Smolski

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"The mayor of Providence has a big problem. How can he balance a budget that addresses the needs of an increasingly large number of people, yet deal with a declining tax base that is less able to pay for theses extra services?"

That Precious 'Ambience', Chester Smolski

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"Colette Peters, former Rhode Island School of Design student, renowned cake baker and author of Colette's Cakes, was recently asked about her food memories of Providence. This current resident of New York said, 'Haven Brothers! We'd go to Haven Brothers for hot dogs when I was a student at RISD. It was what we could afford.'"

In Defense Of The Lowly City: Urban Exodus, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"For much of American history, cities have been depicted as centers of sin and corruption. As a result, they have been neglected, ignored, castigated, criticized, shunned and despised by citizens and government alike. Americans just don't like cities."

Keeping The Pols Honest With Regionalization, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The New England Governor's Conference will hold a meeting in Hartford on December 6 to address regional economic issues that are common to the six states located in the northeast corner of the country. During that same week, the towns of Warren and Bristol in Rhode Island will hold public sentiment for the sharing of schools in the two towns. As disparate as these two meetings appear to be, there is a commonality of purpose that marks both: regionalism."

The Benefits Of Regionalization, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Bristol County is unusual among Rhode Island's five counties. Not only is it contiguous with a county of the same name in an adjoining state, but it also consists of only three towns--Barrington, Warren and Bristol--and is one of the smallest of the 3,141 counties in this country."

Census: To Recount Or Not To Recount?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Whether to adjust or not to adjust, that is the critical question facing the US Census Bureau in the next six weeks, when it decides if it is necessary to make some type of accommodation in the figures form the April 1, 1990, census count.

Deemed "not the best census ever" by the New York Times, the count, as detailed by an embarrassed Census Bureau, missed between four and six million of the country's residents, an undercount even greater than that of 1980. Sadly, more than one half of the undercount included blacks or Hispanics, a population that needs to …

The Numbers Game: An Ethnic Mish-Mash, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"St. Patrick and St. Joseph would have been pleased by the special day held in their honor at the State House recently. The General Assembly session was called off, corned beef and cabbage and Italian meatballs were served and speeches were given to recognize the contributions of the culturally and ethnically rich heritage of this small state of Rhode Island."

Finding Out When A City Is Not A City, Chester Smolski

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"'Welcome to America's most livable city' was the slogan in gold letters on a blue banner that hung from the rafters. This was the greeting that a passenger received on arrival a few years ago at the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport. The banner no longer hangs there."

Census Numbers May Mean Money To Cities, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It looks like we're nearly there. The results of America's most costly census have been announced and many cities and states are not happy with them. A possible adjustment of figures will likely do little to placate them."

Our Place On The Map, Chester Smolski, Anne K. Petry

Smolski Texts

"National Geography Awareness Week (Nov. 11-17) will have special significance for the schools of Rhode Island. The National Geographic Society has just awarded a $1000 planning grant to the two of us, one of such seven awards granted this year, to begin the process by which all of our schools may again bring geography to its full importance in the curriculum."

A Note To Candidates: Look At Housing, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The 1980s will be remembered as the time of the federal government's decimation of housing policies and programs that previous administrations had sought so diligently to design and implement. Candidates for federal and state offices need to be aware of current housing problems and possible measures that will improve housing in the state. The following are major concerns and suggested action proposals to help alleviate the housing plight of state residents.

Now We Are Counted, Chester Smolski

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"There is an unusual clock in the Department of Commerce building in Washington. Looking like an auto's mileage odometer, it records the nation's population. Another single number is added to the total every 14 seconds. On March 6, the population odometer reached 250 million, which should be the number reported from this year's tally by the U.S. Census Bureau, the 21st decennial census in our country's history."

The 1990 Census Addresses Housing Concerns, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Beginning Sunday, April 1, 1990, in all 50 states of the United Stated and in its possessions, the 21st census of the population will be taken. And with it will be questions on housing, asked since 1940, so that we will have an accurate data base for both people and their housing conditions upon which to base our requirements for the present and to better project what our needs for the future will be."

Communities For Elderly As Money-Making Ventures, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Fifteen miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, Ariz., you can see it in the distance: a veritable white walled oasis. A six-to-eight foot tall black fence nearly encloses it, cutting it from the sparsely settled desert and agricultural lands that surround it, providing a haven of community living that makes it one of the best-known residential areas in the nation."