Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

For Providence, Another Era Of Greatness?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Providence has come a long way from just 20 years ago when a visitor coming into the city by rail would find sprayed across the walls of the nearly empty Union Station such epithets as 'Providence is the pits' and 'Welcome to dead city.' And it was. I know because I lived there."

Hud Report Hails City's Revival, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Recent rankings of Providence have given it high grades, ranging from restaurant reviews to being named by Money magazine as the best city in the Northeast in which to live. All of these tributes have received considerable publicity. But the best endorsement of the city's revitalization likely comes from a publication not commonly seen by the public, the annual State of the Cities report published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development."

Where Are We Going? Tv Show Seeks Answers, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"How will the future Rhode Island look, and will it be better than today? Where will new development take place? How will this development affect cities and towns? Will there be adequate and affordable housing, and where will it be built? Will there be enough land available for future growth, as well as water, sewers, roads and other infrastructure to accommodate this additional population? And will communities try to prevent growth or work to accommodate it? The future is in our hands, and how we address such issues will determine how well our children will live in the not too …

Providence's Unending Quest For Cash, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"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?"

What's In Store For Social Security?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Health-care costs are commanding considerable attention these days. From Washing, D.C., to Providence and state capitals across the nation, the burning questions are, "How much?" and "Who pays?""

Cooperating For Economic Development, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"This small state has an advantage over larger states because its size allows it to share ideas more easily. With only 39 cities and towns, and no county governments, it is possible to have a meeting in Providence, attended by representatives of these communities within less than a one-hour drive."

What Downtown Needs To Get Going, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"They mayor of Providence wasted little time in responding to the ideas presented by Andres Duany and his team of experts i the recent Providence charrette. he appointed a task force consisting of nine subcommittees which have bee studying the ideas suggested in Dunay's preliminary report."

Smaller Homes May Spark Recovery, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"On the surface, it looks good: The stock market has recently broken through the 3200 level, the Federal Reserve Board has cut the discount lending rate by half over the past year to a 27-year-low of 3.5 percent, the average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage has reached an 18-year low, and the housing affordability index has reached its highest level in 17 years. So why is housing still in the doldrums?"

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."

Some Thoughts On Regionalization, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"New Englanders pride themselves on their self-reliance, their fortitude, their independance and, some would say, their obstinacy. Generally good qualities, but they come at a price: not cooperating with others around you. And this has been a tradition in this part of the country since its founding.

But now the 39 cities and towns are faced with severe cutbacks in funding from federal and state sources, and major questions are being raised by taxpayers who are expressing their anger by voting to reduce all types of programs, especially the biggest expense in most communities--the schools."

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."

Land Costs Make For High-Cost Housing Starts, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Here in the Northeast, where housing prices are among the highest in the nation, it is difficult to find measures to reduce the price of housing to make it more affordable. Even with talk of an impending recession, house prices have moderated only slightly, and the real estate business finds itself in a very troubled state."

Head Counting That Counts, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Next April, the Census Bureau will take on the principal task for which it was created: To count each member of this nation. No small chore, considering that the number will approach one-quarter billion persons. The 21st decennial undertaking will be watched closely because the numbers will help determine where new markets might be sited, where federal dollars may flow, and a host of other conclusions that may be drawn by ascertaining the numbers and locations of people. But the results will be most closely scrutinized by politicians at all levels of government."

Us Citizens Will Stand Up And Get Counted In 1990, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The US Bureau of the Census, "Factfinder for the Nation," is starting to swing into high gear as Census Day, April 1, 1990, rapidly approaches. Ensuring that 106 million households receive their questionnaires before that date and then processing the numbers will likely total 250 million people is one Herculean task."

Housing Problems Grow More Acute For The Poor, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"One in seven people live below the poverty level in this rich country, and the result of this inexcusable condition is that housing is the principal problem for these more than 32 million people.

Nearly two of every three poor people rent their housing, and while home owners are experiencing increased equity because of increasing house values, low-income renters are having to pay higher rents with fewer dollars."

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?"

Some Modest Progress In Providing Affordable Housing In R.I., Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Affordable housing is a major problem in Rhode Island and the Northeast as monthly figures issued by government, realtors, builders and others constantly remind us. But as bad as the situation is, there are some encouraging actions being taken that offer hope for the future."

Inflation Takes A Toll On The Poor, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Everyone is keenly aware these days of the declining value of the dollar and the inability of the average person to keep pace with the rising cost of living. Inflation, an insidious ailment of the economy, strikes all people alike, whether they be working families, single people, elderly or poor."

Providence Needs An Effective 'Land Bank' Policy, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Recent disclosures on the purchase of vacant lots in Providence by certain city officals have raised two serious questions, only one of which has been addressed."

Providence Home Rule, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The opposition bumper stickers have already appeared. In bright fluorescent colors to catch the unsuspecting eye, the message is loud and clear--'Reject Home Rule Charter.' Why should there be this opposition, and who are the people against this progressive move toward better local government?"

Stevenage--Pace Setter Among "New Towns", Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The British successful "great social experiment," going on for the past generation, is now coming to an end. This culmination is to be seen here in England's first, post-war new town, located 30 miles north of London in the rolling countryside of Hertfordshire, where the Stevenage Development Corporation has formally closed shop. For all pratical purposes, the construction of this urban center has ended."

Key Factor To A Better City, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The Providence Charter Commission is now moving into the homestretch. After a full nine-month period in which more than 60 meetings were held, culminating in three public hearings in late June, the nine-member commission has gone back to the drawing board to review ideas, revise where deemed appropriate, and have a completed document ready in September. Voter acceptance in November, with General Assembly validation of certain provisions in 1981, will allow home rule for the state's capital city to become fully operational in January of 1983.

Energy Conservation For Cities And States, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"During this winter season the 68 percent increase in the price of fuel oil has made us painfully aware of our dependance on foreign oil."

Rr Relocation: Avoiding Another Boondoggle, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The lengthy process to examine the relocation of the railroad station and tracks in downtown Providence continues."

The Local Planning Boards Miss An Opportunity, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Planning boards in the communities of the state have the responsibility to study, advise and recommend strategies and policies for the growth and development of their respective cities and towns. These appointed members frequently have no background on such matters and must often make decisions on which they have little understanding. This is particularly true in areas of housing where PUD, PURD, Condo, Co-op, zero lot line zoning, and a host of other acronyms and concepts sometimes defy comprehension."

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.'"

Housing Program That Suffers From Too Much Success, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"One of the strengths of this country lies in the large number of people who own and occupy their own homes. In 1970, 63 percent of Americans were classed as owner-occupiers (in Rhode Island the figure was 58 percent), and that number has grown to approximately 65 percent today."

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 …