Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Superlative Atlanta, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"With the passing of each year a new superlative is added: the third largest convention city; the third city in the post-war period to construct a rapid transit system; the second busiest airport in the world; the safest mass transportation system in the country; and with direct flights to London in the offing, this major commercial, industrial and financial center of the Southeast can truly claim to be a New International City. Atlanta is all of these."

Atlanta, Where The Eager Citizens Join In, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Atlanta calls itself the "New International City," and, without doubt, this magnet urban center of the South is drawing attention and money, and creating jobs on a vast scale."

Soul City Deserves To Succeed, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream--a dream of equal opportunity and justice for all. An assassin's bullet prevented him from realizing his dream. His friend and well-known leader in the civil rights movement also had a dream--a dream to build a new town in which the injustices of society would be lessened. Today, in the rolling farmland country of North Carolina, Floyd McKissick is working to fulfill his long sought dream."

Parallel For Providence To Consider, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"They have done it here. The Grand Opera House has nearly been restored and it is now the Deleware State Performing Arts Center. A lively activity center located on the recently opened, pedestrianized Market Street Mall, the Grand is serving as a major focal point in bringing life back to downtown Wilmington."

Are Trees Necessary In The City?, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It appeared as a small news item: the Providence Park Commission had requested that 40 trees be planted along Atwells Avenue as part of the $2.8 million facelift scheduled for Federal Hill but the Providence Redevelopment Agency did not act on the request. Businessmen along the street were also opposed to the plantings because they considered that their shops would not be visible behind the trees and thus, they would lose some potential business. As a result, no new trees will appear along that business thoroughfare."

New Office Building Is Good News, But Questions Of Planning Raised, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The latest piece of news concerning a possible new office building for Providence is just another example of the renewed interested in the downtown of Rhode Island's capital city. Revitalization, resurgence, renewwal--call it what you will--there is no question that the prognosis for the ailing city center is excellent and the "patient" is now on the road to recovery.

What To Do With Lasalle Square, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The recent proposals to the Providence Redevelopment Authority for the development of the once-acre parcel of land at LaSalle Square have raised some interesting questions about the use of this valuable piece of downtown property."

The Benefits Reaped From Block Grant Fund Will Increase, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 signed into law by President Ford was a landmark piece of legistlation. It provided federal money for communities in block grants, with each local community making its own decisions as to the distrubution of these funds in areas such as housing, parks and community facilities."

Protect Pedestrians On N. Main, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"It happened at night just one month ago. An 87 year old Providence woman tried to cross North Main Street at Doyle Avenue, was struck by a car and seriously injured. Attempting to cross at this poorly lit intersection, this slow moving, elderly woman had little chance to avoid the car in this zone of fast moving traffic."

Impressions Of Providence, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"A recent Letter to the Editor of this newspaper pointed out part of the problem of our capital city. Whether one agrees with the writer or not, it is important to consider what he said because this is the image of the city which he carried away with him."

Revival Of Downtown Providence, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Finally, on September 29, more than two years after the initial correspondence and subsequent competition, design, debate, public hearings and more public hearings, the proposal for the Kennedy Plaza auto restricted zone (ARZ) was passed by the Providence City Council. This necessary approval cleared the last barrier before the September 30 deadline of the Urban Mass Transit Administration (UMTA) so that Providence may be considered for nearly $5 million of federal funds to implement this project."

City Land Bank Would Promote Industrial Development, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"On the 19th of May, in the city of Providence, 200 properties were offered for sale to the public. These were properties on which owners were in default of taxes and which the city hoped to sell in order to get them back on the tax rolls, as well as to collect back taxes. Only 21 of the properties were sold."

A New Park To Give The Downtown A Lift, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

The recent discussions on the proposal for an auto-restricted zone in Kennedy Plaza have centered essentially on one idea: should this area continue to be used for cars and parking space or should it be turned over to pedestrians, with limited auto access, increased bus usage, and fewer parking spaces?

Rhode Island Has A Large Stake In Its Capital City, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"If you are number two, you try harder. But what do you do if you are number four? Figures recently released by the United States Census Bureau estimate that Providence lost 11,000 persons between 1970 and 1975, and now ranks as the fourth largest city in New England."

Don't Be Too Quick To Dismiss Pedestrianized Malls, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The recent proposal to close off parts of the Kennedy Plaza and Dorrance Street to automobile traffic and transform autoways to pedestrian use has raised an important question: What would be the impact on downtown stores if this proposed auto resticted zone (ARZ) were implemented?

Providence Needs More Than Parking Space, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The automobile has made us highly mobile. Today we think nothing of driving 30, 40 or 50 miles to do different kinds of shopping. The success of suburban malls attests to this fact: with good access from interstate and highways, these asphalt oases have sprung up like mushrooms throughout our suburban areas. And with few exceptions, they have successfully fulfilled the single function for which they were intended--retailing.

Statewide Land Use Plan For R.I., Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The Rhode Island section of the American Institute of Planners has called it "the most significant single item of legistlation in the history of land planning in this state," and yet there is the real possibility that this far reaching measure may not be introduced for enactment in this session of the General Assembly."

Saving Valuable Resources, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"At last, its time has arrived! After years of talking, viewing, writing, and field tripping, someone is finally listening to those select few who saw the architectural, historical, and, today, economic value of saving and restoring our old buildings."

Providence Housing: A Downtown Trend That Deserves Attention, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"One of the major needs in Rhode Island, as it is in most of the country, is decent and safe housing in a good enviornment. This need is especially acute for the elderly population."

Make The Full Investment In Downtown Renewal, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Just how much money is the city of Providence willing to invest in revitalizing its downtown? The answer to this question is soon to be given when the City Council acts on the recommendations of the Committee on Urban Redevelopment headed by Councilman Ralph R. Fargnoli. the committee voted Wednesday in favor of a $6-million downtown renewal project."

This Mini-State Needs The Land Use Plan: Viewpoint, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The most significant bill to come before this session of the General Assembly will be introduced soon by Governor Noel. The proposed bill to establish a state-local land management program merits the close scrutiny of all citizens of this state. Not only would this program have an immediate effect on Rhode Island, but the full impact of this farsighted bill would fall on succeeding generations."

Community Control: Rebuttal, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"The problem of fire was very real to the early settlers of this country. For this reason, in 1626, it was decreed that thatched roofs on houses no longer would be allowed in the Plymouth Colony. Early New York, in 1648, stipulated that wooden chimenys no longer could be built on houses. These were early attempts at control over individuals by the community, in this case, for fire protection.

The Time Is Right For New Towns, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"Recent applications to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the funding of four new towns have been suspended. HUD has further notified developers that it will no longer accept applications for federal guarentees on the construction of these large scale developments."

Time To Appoint A City Artist, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"During the past several weeks, while Providence's new mayor has been sorting out priorities and charting new directions for the first new administration in a decade, a plethora of suggestions has been advanced for ways to make Providence a better place in which to live."

Revitalization, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"When he was campaigning for election to the presidency of this country, Abraham Lincoln made a rash promise. Detailing his ideas on giving freedom to black slaves to an unsympathetic audience, Lincoln was confronted by a white heckler from the rear who shouted, "Yes, but what are you going to do for me?"

Let Citizens Shape The City, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"On November 22 in the Bishop McVinney Auditorium, approximately 225 residents of Providences assembled to suggest the means by which this city could become a better place in which to live."

New Towns: A Peek At 1984 In Britian, Ken Parker

Smolski Texts

What's the world, and specifically the United States, coming to in the matter of housing and community life?

At least a partial answer, maybe even a portent of 1984, may lie in a municipality concept described recently by Chester E. Smolski, associate professor of geography at Rhode Island College.

New town, the name generally given to the concept, is familiar, but to most people, the details are vague. Professor Smoslki recieved a grant from the National Science Foundation in 1968 to go to England for a year to study new towns.

New Town: We Can Learn From This British Venture, Chester Smolski

Smolski Texts

"In 1946 when Lewis Silkin, Minister of Housing, approached Stevenage, then a quiet village of about 6,000 residents 30 miles north of London in the lovely rolling Hertfordshire countryside, he must have suspected that the villagers were not particularly anxious to hear him speak. The sign in the railway station had been changed to Silkingrad by some of the disgruntled villagers and before he was to leave he found the tires of his car deflated and some sand in the petrol tank. Stevenage was the first "new town" designated under the New Towns Act of 1946 and the Minister was …

Not In Accordance With A Comprehensive Plan: A Case Study Of Regional Shopping Center Location Conflicts In Lexington, Kentucky, A. Dan Tarlock

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Windsor Ontario Reports 1967-1968 Pride In Progress, City Of Windsor

SWODA: Windsor & Region Publications

"1968 should be a year of progress toward a better planned city with fuller services."; work on the E.C. Row Expressway continues, as to improvements to city streets and sewers; includes sections on education and recreation.