Rural Sociology Commons^™

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

Smolski Texts

"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 …

New Federal Initiatives For City Revitalization, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"'We have never really had a comprehensive urban policy in this country...and in the absence of understanding and coordinated assistance among government leaders, many of our cities are caught in a vicious cycle, a downward spiral that can only be broken by new attitudes, new initiatives, and a new partnership.'"

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?"