Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Distributional Consequences Of Public Policies: An Example From The Management Of Urban Vehicular Travel, Winston Harrington, Elena Safirova, Conrad Coleman, Sébastien Houde, Adam M. Finkel

All Faculty Scholarship

This paper uses a spatially disaggregated computable general equilibrium model of a large US metropolitan area to compare two kinds of policies, “Live Near Your Work” and taxation of vehicular travel, that have been proposed to help further the aims of “smart growth.” Ordinarily, policy comparisons of this sort focus on the net benefits of the two policies; that is, the total monetized net welfare gains or losses to all citizens. While the aggregate net benefits are certainly important, in this analysis we also disaggregate these benefits along two important dimensions: income and location within the metropolitan area. The resulting …

Washington Park Main Street Plan, Benjamin Bergenholtz, Derek Dandurand, Valerie Fram, Tracy Jonsson, Kimberly Lindner, Carolyn Reid, D.J. Sevigny, Alexandra Skerry, Timothy Guimond, Brooke Kourafas, Elise Murphy, Matt Berry, Erik Butler, Kayla Nerone, Arnold Robinson, Jeremy Wells, Julie Coon, Joel Cooper

Historic Preservation

There is an immense variety of privately owned businesses. They will be stakeholders because their businesses are located there, but they will also be assets in themselves in drawing people to the area. There is basically everything anyone could possible want or need in this area. There are two gas stations, a Family Dollar, a liquor store, a few sit down restaurants, numerous places where one can get a quick bite to eat, a frame shop, a clothing store, a pawn shop, a store with fresh produce (which is hard to find in urban areas), a store that sells sports …

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."

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."

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?"

How Goes The American Dream?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Americans are a hard-working lot. The ambitious American worker has fewer holidays, less vacation time and other benefits than Western Europeans. They are well-rewarded for their pursuit of the American dream. Home ownership rates in this country are among the highest rates in the world. The typical American worker has more cars and more kitchen gadgets, electronic hardware, recreational gear and more computers in his home than any other worker in the world."

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."

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."

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.'"

The Same Numbers Can Add Up To Various Sums, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It was Benjamin Disraeli, supposedly, who first used this truism: 'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.' At a time of great interest in house prices and the growing field of demographics, it is incumbent on the reader to be aware of this when reading stories in these areas that are substantiated by numbers."

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."

Taking Steps To Solve The Country's Housing Woes, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The problems of housing in today's America force us to look back almost a quarter of a century in time to the Great Society era, for it was during this period that some of the most progressive and far-reaching housing legislation in this nation was enacted."

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."

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."

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."

More Tenants Would Strengthen Downtown Retailing, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"One of the most obvious symptoms of our sick cities is the decline of downtown retailing. Everywhere vacant shops and empty upper floors remind us of an activity that was the mainstay of downtown vitality, and which today has increasingly shifted to the ubiquitous suburban mall, that notable merchandising technique."

Downtown Plan Needed For Future Growth, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It appears that the Providence downtown is finally turning the corner. A proposal to beautify the entrance into the city center from Route 95 with trees, flags, parks, art work and new illumination has been submitted to the Providence Redevelopment Authority. This turn to aesthetics, coming on the heels of considerable physical improvement of roads and buildings accomplished and in progress, is an indication that downtown interests recognize the lack of an attractive city 'gateway' and want to do something about it. This is decidedly a praiseworthy action on the part of the private sector."

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.'"

Role For Business Leaders In A Cleaner Downtown, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The recent sales promotion by the Providence Intown Merchants Association proved quite successful. Five-cent bus rides and bargain sales generated considerable business, especially on Saturday, normally a quiet day for retail sales in the downtown. This well illustrates what is possible when salesmanship and cooperation among downtown merchants are used to full advantage."

Stimulus For R.I. Housing, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It was the single largest bond issue in the state and one of the largest in the nation. The Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation (HMFC) has sold $163 million of tax-free bonds, $142 million of which will be made available at below market interest rates to persons with annual incomes up to $30,000, to buy homes in Rhode Island. This will have a sizable impact on the local real estate market and increase housing opportunities for many prospective home buyers."

Gentrification--Urban Movement, But Small, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It appears that the gentry are returning to the city in droves, snapping up old Federal, Victorian and Greek revival structures in some of our declining and marginal neighborhoods, rehabilitating these structurally sound buildings, and driving up the value of the surrounding properties, with a resultant upgrading of the neighborhoods in which they are located. In the process the poor and moderate income residents can no longer afford to live in their old neighborhoods, and are being forced from their communities by this avalanche of affluent professionals who have rediscovered the joy of urban living. At least this is what …

Jacksonville's Commitment To Downtown, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The largest city in the Sunshine State is quite different from the cities we know in the Northeast, especially in its downtown."