Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Voices Of Cully: A Case Study Of The Living Cully Weatherization And Home Repair Project 2.0, Lucy J.T. Cultrera

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Cully neighborhood is situated in the Northeast quadrant of Portland, Oregon. It is 2.75 square mile plot of land and home to roughly 13,000 people. In addition to being one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Portland, it is the most densely populated, with the smallest amount of parkland per capita. Over the last two decades, home value has increased 203% in Cully, compared to a 90% citywide increase. Amidst these development trends are stories of incredible resilience, resistance and activism from the affected community. My project is a case study of one anti-displacement initiative, which was developed and …

This Land Is My Land: The Evolution And Future Of Urban Homesteading In The United States, Emma Brennan

African & African American Studies Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

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."

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."

There's Good News From The Nation's Classrooms, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Last May at the finals of the National Geographic Bee held in Washington, DC, Alex Trebeck was getting concerned because he thought that he would be running out of questions for the ten finalists who came from throughout the country. Well, he did have enough, although it was close.

In the previous year it took just 80 questions to determine a winner of the Bee, an annual event sponsored by the National Geographic Society in which over five million kids nationwide from grades four through eight compete. In 1999, however, it took 140 questions before a winner was determined. In …

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."

One Grim View Of Life For The Aged Is Disputed, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

""The way the United States treats their elderly is a total disgrace... they cant live on the amount of money from Social Security... It's even worse than the poverty level." Thus spoke a Cranston senior citizen when Vice President Gore was in town recently to discuss the future of Social Security."

Without Jobs, R.I.'S Place On Livability Lists Is Weak, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"All of us like to know and be part of the best places, whether this be restaurants, hospitals, colleges, golf courses, or whatever, so we rank them. These range from the international, where we rank levels of corruption by countries, to the local, where we rate the best clam shacks. And though we may not agree with some of the rankings, we find most of them useful in terms of making connections with places we know."

James Rouse--A Man For All Seasons, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Donna Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services, said it best: he 'did more to revitalize American cities than anyone this century.' Recognition of this fact came last September when President Clinton awarded him our nation's highest civilian honor--the Presidential Medal of Freedom. James W. Rouse, died at the age of 81, just 17 short days before his 82nd birthday on April 26--a long life with long-lasting achievements by a humanist and an urbanist, a man often referred to as a 'real Christian' and an 'urban visionary.' Where does one begin?"

Erasing Misconceptions About Immigration, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Much has been written about our immigration policy because of the large numbers of Mexicans, Cubans and Haitians that have come, or attempted to come, to this country. Stemming the flow of immigrants is also one of the reasons for the actions of this country in Haiti."

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."

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."

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."

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?"

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?"

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?""

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."

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."

Smaller Homes May Spark Recovery, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"On the surface, it looks good: The stock market has recently broken through the 3200 level, the Federal Reserve Board has cut the discount lending rate by half over the past year to a 27-year-low of 3.5 percent, the average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage has reached an 18-year low, and the housing affordability index has reached its highest level in 17 years. So why is housing still in the doldrums?"

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."

Redistricting Law And Minority Rights, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It has been referred to as "probably the most important civil rights law on the books," and the results of that legislation are most impressive. But more importantly, the Voting Rights Act promises to have an even greater influence in the coming decade."

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."

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 …

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."

A Note To Candidates: Look At Housing, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The 1980s will be remembered as the time of the federal government's decimation of housing policies and programs that previous administrations had sought so diligently to design and implement. Candidates for federal and state offices need to be aware of current housing problems and possible measures that will improve housing in the state. The following are major concerns and suggested action proposals to help alleviate the housing plight of state residents.

New Development Is In For A Difficult Decade, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"There is little question that during 1990s, proposed new development--whether residential, commercial or office--is going to be in for some rough going. Community aversion to development and what is perceived to be the resulting overcrowding, traffic and extra budget for schools, roads, water and sewage lines and other items pose major obstacles that developers are not encountering. It will likely worsen in the years ahead."