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."

Revised Census Gives Mayors Worry And Hope, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The numbers are in. They were a surprise for the Census Bureau, the nation and the state of Rhode Island. They year 2000 22nd decennial census whose numbers were first revealed to the President by the December 31, 2000 deadline and then to the public, fooled many observers by coming in considerably higher than that previously estimated. this was true for both the nation and the state of Rhode Island."

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 …

After The Count Is Over, It's Time To Reapportion The House, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"In a few weeks more than 100 million households in the country will be receiving an invitation from the U.S. Census Bureau to tell something about themselves. And it is important that all respond to this invitation because it means federal money to be distributed for improvements to your state and local community, based upon the numbers counted."

Retaining The Charm Of Rhode Island, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The town of Exeter in Washington County is an unusual place--it is classified as one of the few remaining rural communities in the state. With 86 percent of Rhode Island considered urban by the Census Bureau, rural designation is something special in this second most densely settled state in the union."

In Economic Terms People Count!, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"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."

Planning Brings A Town To Life, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When the founders of the Ryland Group built their first houses in the new town of Columbia, Md., 25 years ago, they had no idea how far this venture into Howard County would take them. After all, they were just one of the 33 builders operating in Columbia who offered new homes to buyers who came to experience a different style of living in the suburbs of Washington."

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."

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."

Now We Are Counted, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"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."

Spruce Up The Plan Reports To Gain Some Notice, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It was just a decade ago that the comprehensive plan for the city of Springfield, Mass. was published, and almost immediately, the national news media picked it up and publicized it throughout the country. What was it about this plan for the future of a middle-sized city that would generate this type of attention? After all, most cities produce similar plans, but these usually go unnoticed and unread, even in the communities for which these plans are made.

The imaginative approach used in the Springfield plan was to publish it in the Time magazine format, even to a title that …

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."

Financing Difficulties Stall Linkage In Providence, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When the India Point Club luxury condominium development, scheduled to be built on the Providence waterfront, was announced in 1987, there were many local skeptics who said it was too expensive for the Providence market. After all, selling penthouse condos overlooking the dirty Providence River for over $1 million was quite ambitious--and some said impossible."

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."

How To Keep Teachers In R.I., Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Should Providence city employees be forced to live in the city? The Home Rule Charter, adopted five years ago, requires them to do so. The executive secretary of the Providence Teachers' Union states that this requirement should not apply to teachers. But, is dropping the residency requirement the answer to the problem of finding adequate numbers of substitute and full-time teachers?"

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?"

Residency And The Charter, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When Providence voters approved a home rule charter in 1980, they took a major step forward in choosing their own destiny, rather than relying on the General Assembly to approve many of their actions. To implement the resulting changes, the date for full compliance of the charter was set at 1983. And since that time, newly hired city workers are required to live in Providence."

Invisible Industry, Visible Rewards, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The week of May 17 to May 23 appeared to be an ordinary one, but it was singled out at the national level as National Tourism Week and, in the state, as Rhode Island Tourism Week, in case you did not know, and it was recognized by both the governor and by the mayor of Providence at recent luncheons. Well, ho-hum, another of the many proclamations and paper awards that so often come out of these offices that few give them much attention. But this one should cause Rhode Islanders to sit up and take notice."

Looking To Suburban Malls For Lesson On Envisaged Providence Company, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"During next month, some major decisions must be made that will have long-term effects on the future health and prosperity of our capital city's central business district. One of these decisions relates to the proposed establishment of a 'Providence Company,' a management and marketing organization for the downtown, recommended in the recently completed Carr, Lynch and Levine report on downtown Development."

Downtown Plan Whose Time Has Come, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The recently completed 'Providence Development Strategy,' a study of the capital city's downtown by Carr, Lynch Associates, Inc. in collaboration with Melvin Levine & Associates, Inc. of Cambridge, has now reached the public discussion stage. And in two meetings of invited participants, several points were raised that will need to be addressed by a mayor's committee which is to make recommendations to him by September."

Tourism's Full Potential Waiting In Wings For R.I., Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Question: What industry in this country involves 8 million consumers daily, employs between 4 and 6 million people directly, generates nearly $200 billion in annual expenditures and is our second largest retailing activity? If you answered tourism, you are correct."

Designing The Cityscape, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"A new structure has recently been erected in the Providence downtown, and criticisms of the building's design continue to fly. An editorial in these newspapers, for example, referred to the 'failed example of quickie construction with a outsized Erector set.'"

The Stimulus Of City Success Stories, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When George Voinovich, mayor of this city, spoke to the 300 persons gathered from all parts of this country to discuss successes in cities, he had the undivided attention of the audience. After all, this was the man who brought the city back from the brink of bankruptcy and has now given it clear direction and a solid financial base."

Porter And Rouse--Believers In Cities And Opportunities, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"His name may not be familiar, but it should be. He helped to originate and implement the Marshall Plan, this nation's effort to help European recovery in the post-war years. Throughout his long and distinguished career he touched many bases as editor and publisher of a trade newspaper, U.S.diplomat in several European cities and successful businessman and president of his own firm. Upon retirement several years ago, he developed an interest in cities, wrote a book about them, and four years ago at an age when many have packed it in, became director of the Urban Recovery Project at the …

Potential Of A Failing Neighborhood, Chester Smolskirevitalize Olneyville Plan By State Colleges.

Smolski Texts

"Developing neighborhood pride is one of the keys to a healthy neighborhood and a healthy city. In a city that is losing population and jobs, that is faced with increasing numbers of abandoned houses and vacant lots, that has the highest equalized tax rate (tax rate and assessment rate combined) in the state, and that has unique needs because of the large numbers of elderly, minority and poor residents, maintaining strong neighborhoods is a difficult task. Yet, though the task may be difficult, there is hope and there is potential for declining neighborhoods to revitalize themselves. This was the message …

Missed Opportunity In S. Kingston, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"They were well dressed, although informally. They came with their spouses. They were articulate, educated, and generally did not raise their voices. They looked like solid middle-class Americans--homemakers, civic-minded, and concerned citizens, so it was difficult to understand their reaction to the proposed housing development."

Meet A Leader In Urban Renovation, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"This city of 35,000 residents in a small, rural county of Piedmont in north-central South Carolina has become a leader in urban innovation--innovations that have been implemented and are now starting to pay off."

Some Good Things Are Happening, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It is easy to be critical and to single out the wrongs of a society: the reporting of such wrongs is what sells newspapers. Too often the good things that happen are not recognized nor deemed newsworthy, and the result is they go unnoticed. So it was more than refreshing to read recently in these papers about some very positive actions on the part of a private citizen, a small business, and yes, even a politician--actions that are helping to make our communities better places in which to live."

Accepting The Townhouse Idea Requires New Attitudes, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"To change actions is easy; to change attitudes is more difficult. This is a truism that one finds whether one deals with race relations, sexual equality or ethnic stereotypes. It is also true in housing."