Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

Where Did They All Go? R.I. Population Still Shrinking, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Just how accurate are the U.S. Census Bureau estimates of the population, done every year between the actual count of population done every ten years? Well, we should soon be able to make comparisons of the recently released estimates for 1999 and the actual state totals when they are released at the end of this years, and when city and town figures are released April 1, 2001, exactly one year after the census of 2000."

A Proposal To The Governor: 'Let's Get Together', Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Americans have always had a dislike of cities. From the time Thomas Jefferson who felt that the good life was to be found in rural areas to that of Frank Lloyd Wright who claimed that cities were for banking and prostitution and little else, the American city has received little sympathy on the part of most Americans."

Accurate Census Count Critical For Ri, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"In his recent speech to the General Assembly outlining his proposed budget for the next fiscal year starting on July 1, Governor Almond's proposal for a $2.3 billion state spending package will require an increase of $97.2 million over this year. meanwhile there will be a small decrease in the state income tax. Beyond increased spending and reduced state income taxes there is another variable that will affect the state budget, but that opportunity comes only this year."

Census Bureau Seeks Partners In Business, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"By now you should have seen the advertisements for the U.S. Census Bureau to apprise us of the forthcoming census on April 1, 2000. And there will be plenty more since the Bureau has budgeted $167 million on this push for public awareness, something it has never perviously paid to do."

U.S. Census Nears; Results To Be Questioned, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It is the largest peacetime activity of the United States government, and since its inception in 190 takes place every 10 years. It will employ, at its peak, 860,000 workers who will receive a major portion of the $4.5 billion that Congress recently appropriated for the task. And the total population will be recorded for one day, a far cry from the 18 months that were necessary for U.S. Marshals who tried to find everyone in 1790."

Helping Teachers Help Students Enjoy Geography, Chester Smolski, Anne K. Petry

Smolski Texts

"The concern to improve the education of your young people, whether at the national, state or local levels, is manifesting itself in a variety of ways. One of these is the national program sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

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 …

Geographically, R.I. Teachers Are Among The Best, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Isn't it time that we recognize the good teachers and good work being done in the schools of this state rather than constantly harping on problems with education and how our students don't measure up to those in other countries?"

We All Benefit From A Clean Providence, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Walking along the newly relocated Woonasquatucket River and observing the new walks, roadways and bridges, one cannot help but be impressed by this continuing evidence of the revitalization of the capital city's downtown. Equally impressive is the general overall cleanliness of this area and the rest of the city center. It was not always so."

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."

Fixing Downtown: Now The Hard Part, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Nov. 7, 1991, will not necessarily be labeled a local day of infamy just because Prime Time Live chose to highlight Rhode Island, which some have called the most corrupt state in the country. But if one attended the final presentation of the Providence "charrette" earlier that evening--a summary of ideas and actions designed to revitalize the capital city's downtown--and later watched ABC's depiction of our state--one could certainly call it a day of incongruity."

Pawtucket Puts Planning On Tv, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When the Rhode Island Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulation Act was passed by the General Assembly in 1988, the state became one of a handful of states that sought to bring order out of the chaos of development. The results of that legislation are slowly starting to emerge.

The original law stipulated that by the end of 1990, each city and town would file with the state a comprehensive plan which addressed nine elements. Subject to state approval to ensure compatibility with state goals and policies, the plans will allow communities to better deal with problems related to growth."

Attacking Geographic Illiteracy, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It has been clearly demonstrated through numerous surveys that US residents are among the most geographically illiterate people in the world. Whether trying to locate our own country or the Soviet Union on a world map, we score among the lowest of the major industrial nations of the world in such a simple exercise. But the future looks brighter, both in the nation and in Rhode Island, thanks to the efforts of the National Geographic Society.

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."

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."

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."

The 1990 Census Addresses Housing Concerns, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Beginning Sunday, April 1, 1990, in all 50 states of the United Stated and in its possessions, the 21st census of the population will be taken. And with it will be questions on housing, asked since 1940, so that we will have an accurate data base for both people and their housing conditions upon which to base our requirements for the present and to better project what our needs for the future will be."

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 …

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 …

Eight Communities Meet To Find And Foot Housing, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When resources are provided to local cities and towns to address housing problems, the results can be both innovative and productive. This was aptly demonstrated at a recent workshop on affordable housing.

The 150 attendees who went to Newport, one of the eight cities and towns that received grants to study the problem, were there to share recommendations on how to best address the Providence metropolitan area's lack of affordable housing."

Columbia A Successful Forerunner Of New Towns, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When center city developments such as Faneuil Hall in Boston, South Street Seaport in New York City, Harborplace in Baltimore and others are mentioned, the name of James W. Rouse is also noted in the same breath. In fact, the word "Rousification" is applied to such downtown developments. It is a tribute to his work in creating these lively retail centers in what were previously dying downtowns."

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?"

Cluster Battle Is Over, But The War Rages On, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The Chinese have a saying: 'Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.' For Americans, the same could be said for zoning in the seemingly never-ending war between residents and developers over land development."

Lunching Crowd, See How They Spend, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of an event that has had a marked impact on the shopping pattern of Rhode Island shoppers--Midland Mall, now Rhode Island Mall, opened its doors in Warwick."

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 …