Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

What Determines Our 'Best' Cities?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"A friend of mine and I grew up in the same small town, and both of us still have fond memories of that typical small New England community. The military, then college, marriage and family took us away, although we still maintain contacts there. But now we have a different attitude toward the town."

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

Smolski Texts

"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??

Making American Cities Work, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Visiting a city in a foreign country can be revealing about the culture of that country, can make one realize that cities are places of enjoyment and fulfillment, and that people prize living in them. From such experiences one has to ponder why American cities cannot be viewed in the same manner."

Let's Get Excited About Our City, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Suppose that you wanted to introduce a group of students to Providence, where would you take them? To the East Side? To the Brown campus and the RISD Museum? To the constantly changing Capital Center and waterfront? to the entertainment and artistic performances found in the downtown? And would these visits give a fair appraisal of the city's character?"

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."

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?""

Bringing Geography To Life!, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When Gil Grosvenor, president of the National Geographic Society, called a meeting of Kit Salter and other geographers from California nearly a decade ago, he had no idea that the discussion would have a profound impact on the teaching of geography in the nation's schools."

Gigantic Malls Bring Downtown To Suburbia, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The recent opening of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., has probably received more publicity than any other shopping center in the nation. This behemoth of shopping malls is certainly something to experience, but the real question is whether this $650 million investment has a future."

Planning For People And Beauty, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Tourists who return from England frequently say the same thing: "What a beautiful country!" True enough, but it did not just happen. A naturally occurring rolling landscape and a climate to keep it green helped, to be sure. But strict government-imposed planning accounts for much of beauty [sic] of present-day England, too."

Building Providence: Why Not Shout It From The Rooftops?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"In the past decade, we have moved railroad tracks and built a new railroad station; we are moving two rivers; and now we plan to move an interstate highway. These were the opening remarks of Tom Deller, associate director of planning for the city of Providence to planners here for the annual meeting of the New England chapter of the American Planning Association. Just the thought of these words is mind-boggling."

That Precious 'Ambience', Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"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.'"

Labor Should Join Right Now, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"RIght Now is a coalition of business, religious and community leaders trying to bring changes to the political structure of Rhode Island. This is good, but the most disquieting note of this announcement is the absence of labor leaders from its membership."

Bringing It Together, Downtown, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"They came, they saw, they discussed, they analyzed, and they made their ideas known to the populace. Now they wait for further comments from the citizenry before they provide their final written report in January."

Seeing The City Through Suburban Eyes, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"American cities are, in the minds of many, quite intimidating. They are congested, noisy, dirty, too difficult to drive in, and, of course, the home of muggers, rapists and murderers. For these and other reasons, too many people avoid the opportunities and fail to appreciate the joys that come with city experiences."

Census Numbers Show R.I.'S Soul, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"More numbers have been released by the government from the 1990 census on population and housing. The results tell us something of the uniqueness of this smallest state.

It is useful to determine trends from the past and the present in order to plan for the future, a common method of analysis. But it is also helpful to realize that we are part of a region and a country, and much can be learned by making comparisons between ourselves and others for the same period of time."

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."

Surprise, Some Cities Are Alive And Well, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Those city-haters are at it again. Most recently it was Don Shoemaker, columnist at The Miami Herald, writing in these pages about the loss of population from some of our major cities, using figures recently released by the Census Bureau."

Skewed Distance Perception Is Rhody Tradition, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"We all joke about the size of this state and the attitude that its residents have regarding traveling any distance: Packing a lunch if you are going to Westerly from Providence, staying overnight if you go to Burrillville from Bristol and driving from Pawtucket all the way to Exeter to visit a friend. We hear it enough to start believing it."

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."

Quit Complaining, America--Be Thankful, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"I woke up this morning and saw the sun's rays bouncing off of my car parked in the lot across the street. I wish that I had a two-car garage so I could keep both cars indoors."

Charting Migration And Miscalculation, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"There was cause for celebration last March 6 at the Department of Commerce building in Washington, D.C. The achievement was the recording of 250 million on the bureau's "population odometer," a device which records the population of this nation at any moment.

Based upon average births, deaths, immigration and emigration, a number is added every 14 seconds to the odometer, for a daily increase of about 6300. It was expected that the population total of 250 million would be confirmed with the results of the April 1 census. But preliminary figures indicate that the country has not yet reached this …

Public Is Walking Away From Street Malls, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It seemed a radical idea: Close off a street to vehicles in the heart of the downtown and open it only to a single use, that of the pedestrian. In today's parlance, this user-friendly pedestrian street or mall would make the shopping experience more enjoyable, safer, lead to more socializing and make it easier for the pedestrian to shop and buy more. And for a while it worked."

Demographics Will Dictate The Future Of Business, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"If one could predict the future numbers of a population with some accuracy, that projected data would be most valuable, especially to business."

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."

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 …

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."