Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

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 …

Providence's Biggest Asset Is Its Growing Waterfront, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Twenty years ago, the view of the city of Providence from the Washington Bridge was a dismal one. As one looked to the south and toward the water, the most visible signs were that of a scrapyard and metals firm with mountains of scrapmetal everywhere in sight. This veritable junkyard did nothing to enhance the first impression of Rhode Island's capital city."

Westminster Mall: Mauled By Suburbia, But What's Next?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The reconstruction of Westminster Mall has caused some to ask what went wrong. The answer is complex, and yet quite simply explained: The suburbs are still the growth areas of this country."

Providence Scores High Against Criteria For Vibrant Downtowns, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It has been nearly a generation since her thought-provoking and polemical The Death and Life of Great American Cities appeared, but some of the ideas expressed are still as valid as they were 28 years ago.

The second of the five major books that Jane Jacobs has written is the one that captured the imagination of the public and caused planners to rethink, argue and debate many of the policies and practices they had come to accept as immutable."

Who Are Nation's Poor? Census Pores Over Stats, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"A wise old Englishman once said, 'The governments are keen on gathering statistics; they collect them, add them and raise them to the nth power, but you must never forget that in the first instance they are given by the village watchman who just puts down what he damn well pleases.'"

If Europe Can Team Up, Bristol County Can, Too, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"To regionalize or not? That may be the question facing Rhode Island's Bristol County.

It is the smallest of the five counties in the state, with its 24.9 square miles equalling only 6 percent of Providence County, the state's largest at 437 square miles. The three small towns of Barrington, Warren and Bristol that comprise this East Bay peninsula are usually given just a fleeting glance by visitors as they head south for Newport.

Right now, the three towns are faced with a decision regarding the recycling of waste, which is to take place by September. The state Solid Waste …

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."

More People May Be 20th Century's Greatest Feat, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"This century may well go down in history as humanity's most productive period of accomplishment."

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."

Us, Northeast Housing Compared In Survey, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"One of the more interesting publications of the US Census Bureau in the annual new housing survey, which characterizes and tabulates new housing units constructed in this country. The most recent survey was done for housing built in 1987, with some data also provided for each year back to 1983."

Imagination Brought To Earth, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"There's an old saying, widely attributed to Will Rogers, that says, "Buy land because they're not making it anymore." And as developers search for fewer available and more expensive buildable sites all over the state, most would agree with the saying.

...It has been suggested that the city investigate the possibility of building a parking lot over ROute 95 as a way to provide extra parking for the downtown, but a subsequent analysis apparently discounted the idea.

Perhaps the city is not dreaming big enough."