Background Research snd Recommendations to Improve the Quality of Life in the City of Central Falls, Rhode Island

The purpose of this report is to provide the background research and strategies to improve the quality of life of the City of Central Fall, Rhode Island. The content of the report is divided into three broad sections. The first section presents an overall profile of Central Falls. Various chapters in this section are further subdivided into two broad categories of 'socio-demography' and 'physical characteristics', and include an in-depth analysis of available secondary data for the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. The second section of report is a case-study. In this section a part of Central Falls is chosen for a detailed analysis of socio-demographic and physical characteristics. In the third section the findings of the two earlier sections are used to formulate policy recommendations for improving the quality of life in Central Falls. The report concludes that in spite of existing adverse economic situations, theories of city planning may be applied to formulate long-term policy recommendations to improve the quality of life in the City.

Map?: Map8: Central Falls houses about 2% of the state population while its share of land is about 0.01% of the total land area of the State. In addition to such differences in population and housing densities, the social characteristics of population and housing of the City is also notably different from the rest of the State. The proportion of Hispanic (28%) and the foreign born (27.7%) population of the City surpass the state figures (4.5% and 9.5% respectively) by many times, and so does the population who are below the poverty line (City -22.3%, State -9.6%).

LIST OF MAPS
-1 -

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
The difference also exists in the home-ownership status -the owner/renter ratio of the State is 7:5, while the City's ratio is 1 :3.
The difference between the State, and the City exists in almost every social and physical condition. Compared to the low-density residential character of the communities of the State, the City offers a living environment which is more urbane. The physical difference brings its social impacts, and vice-versa, but the fact of the matter is that a potential home buyer of Rhode Island probably will not consider Central Falls as a place to live, unless, he or she has any other sentimental and/or business interest.

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
The author feels that a short term face lifting may be undertaken but will not provide permanent solution for the City's problems. Based on the experience of working as a member of a consultant team for the City, it was felt that long term improvements of its neighborhoods could be achieved through the applications of appropriate urban revitalization and redevelopment strategies.

Research Objectives and Significance
The objectives of the research study are as follows; i) Present a profile of the City of Central Falls as it relates to socio-demographic and physical characteristics.
Socio-demographic characteristics to be analyzed will be divided into three subsections: population, race/ethnicity, and income. The physical characteristics to be analyzed will also be divided into two sub-sections: land use and housing.
ii) Prepare recommendations to improve the living conditions in the study area (See of Providence, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket, and also in the larger cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. The recommendations derived from this study, therefore, may also be applicable to the similar areas in other cities.

Methodology
As the objectives of the research proposal is divided into two distinct sections, the means to meet the end is also conceived as two parallel streams of thought. On completion of both, individual findings from each of the sections will be grouped to form the final recommendations of the study.
In the first section, physical and social characteristics of the City will be analyzed using the secondary data to determine the trend of development within the City compared to other communities in Rhode Island (Providence County, and the State of Rhode Island) during the past three decades (data to be used are 1970, 1980and 1990.This section will subsequently be divided into two sub-sections. First sub-section will analyze the socio-demographic characteristics while the second sub-section will analyze the physical characteristics, both being divided into several chapters.
In the second section an in-depth analysis of the physical form of the study area will be performed. This section will analyze housing, land-use, zoning, and the distributions of built-up and open spaces. Analyses performed in this section will be based on primary data collected by the author through the research of the city records. Similar to the first section, this section will also be divided into different chapters. The chapters of both the sections will be organized according to the following outline.

Organization of the Study
The study is divided into five chapters. Following this introduction (Chapter 1 ), the Second Chapter examines the socio-demographic characteristics of the City of Central Falls.
This chapter on socio-demography is divided into three sections, which are population, race/ethnicity, and income.

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
The Third Chapter of the study examines the physical characteristics of the City. This chapter is divided into two sections. The first section examines the existing land-use of the City, while the second section presents a profile of housing condition of the City.
The Fourth Chapter is a case study. In the case study, an in-depth analysis of sociodemographic and physical characteristics of the study area is presented. While the earlier chapters present a comparative analysis, the case study is a descriptive analysis of available primary as well as secondary data.
The Fifth and final chapter presents a set of recommendations to improve the quality of life in the City. The recommendations are divided into two primary categories of land-use and housing, as they relate to the quality of life. Apart from these two primary categories, this chapter also suggests design and implementation of an urban design plan for the City.   Compared to the steady growlh of population of the State and the County between 1900 and 1990, the City shows an irregular trend.  1900-1990. 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 19l50 1960 1970 1980 1990 Centnol  1900 -1990.
Over the period between 1900 and 1990 the population of the State of Rhode Island increased steadily from 428,556 in 1900 to 1,003,014 in 1990 (See Table 2.1 and Figure 2.1).
The population of Providence County also shows an upward trend during the period of 1920 to 1990. Although the rate of increase in population in the County has not been as high as the rate in which the population of the State increased, the population of the County never showed a downward trend. The county population increased from 475,190 in 1920 to 574,973 in 1950 (See Table 2.1). The population of the County remained stagnant over the next three decades through -7 -   1900-1990 17 7 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 Years --Population  This analysis shows that while the population of the State of Rhode Island doubled between 1900 and 1990, the population of Central Falls declined. Two major reasons may be stated for decline in population: I) growing crime and air pollution of the central city, and, II) growth of automobile use. As a result of the continuous growth of commercial and industrial activities within the city those who could afford moved to the sub urban areas. The added attraction was the innovation of the automobile providing easy access to the commercial and industrial areas from suburban residences.

Population Density
Although it is true that the demographic trend of the city has been irregular with extensive downward trend compared to the steady upward growth of the State and the County, the population density within the City of Central Falls has always been exorbitantly high compared to the State and the County.  Figure 2.4).

Population Density Trend
It is not only the enonnous density of population that makes the City different from the State, the trend of change in density within the City, too, has been abnonnally different from the rest of the State during the past three decades under consideration. On the contrary, the population density of the City decreased between 1970 and 1990.
According to the 1970 Census, the population density of the City was 15,596.7 per Square Mile.
Over the next ten years the density decreased by 9.2%, with an estimated density of 14162.5 in 1980. The density again increased over the next ten years by 3.78%, with an estimated     1970, 191rl. 19901970191Kl 1990 • Central Falls  The following two figures, Figures 2.8 and 2.9, represent a gradual transformation of the non-white population of the City over the next two decades of the 1980s and the 1990s. The first item to be noted here is the numbers in the Y Axis. These numbers suggest that the densities of the individual age cohorts of the non-white population of the City increased dramatically during this period. Also to be noted is the gradual uniformity of the distribution. Compared to the situation in 1970 (Figure 2.6), it may be asserted that, the non-white population of the City in 1990 became more stable with decreased number of unrelated non-family individuals.

Conclusion
The information presented in this chapter is intended to highlight the demographic differences between Central Falls and the State of Rhode Island and Providence County. The differences highlighted in this chapter are the most important ones while other differences may also be found. Further analysis may be undertaken in this subject. A set of nine appendices (I through IX) is attached to this study and may be used as a basis for further research. On the other hand, the appendices may help the reader perceive various arguments presented in the report.
-13 -   A major share of the northern communities of the State is densely populated and multicultural. The City of Central Falls, in 1990, does not only fall in this category but also houses a substantial share of the segments of population other than White. With a total land area of only 1.20 square mile, a negligible 0.1 % of the total land area of the State, the City houses an approximate 5.0% of the total non-white population of the State. A tour of the City confirms the assertion and demands comprehensive analysis.

Age-Sex Distribution of Density
Primarily, this section is divided into two parts. The first part analyzes the Afro-American, the Asian, and the Pacific Islander sub-groups, while the latter part examines the segments of population with Hispanic origin. Similar to the previous section (2.1 ), the analyses presented here are also based on the US Census data for 1980 and 1990.

Afro-American Population
The

2.2.S Conclusion
One of the most important reasons behind the distinct socio-economic character of the City of Central Falls is probably its diverse ethnic characteristics. The multi-cultural population of the city brings a social character which is distinctly different from its neighbors and the rest of the State, and vice-versa. Similar to an architectural design, where each project is a unique experiment based on site characteristics, historic characteristics, choice of client etc., a plan of Central Falls has to be unique, and has to reflect its unique social characteristics. Therefore, recommendations for the city demands a thorough socio-economic analysis. In addition to the tables and figures used in the section, Appendices X through XII present the demographic characteristics in greater detail.
While the demographic characteristics of the City is presented in this section, the next section presents an economic profile of the City in comparison with the State, and the County.

Income Distribution
The following analyses show that the reflection of a low median household income is apparent in all categories of households in the City. During this analyses the total number of households of the State, the County, and the City are divided into a few groups based on the household income. Essentially, in the following analyses, a percent distribution of the total number of households in the State, the County, and the City is estimated, and then each individual category is compared with others.
-27 -  The study has thus far demonstrated that the City of Central Falls is different from the rest of the State considering the economy, the demography, and the ethnicity. It has also been established that such differences are increasing making the living condition in the City more and more difficult. It will be unjust to hold the economy responsible for the demography or the viceversa, however, they are directly related to each other.
In the following two chapters the effects of such social-demographic situation of the City on its physical environment is discussed. The discussion on the physical environment of the City is further sub divided into two subsections of land-use, and housing.
-31 - The land-use coverage of the City of Central falls is rather unique in its diversity.
Although this small city occupies only 1.2 square miles of land, it has specific areas designated for uses, such as industrial, commercial, and recreational etc. In addition to the specifically designated land-usage, the City also has areas designated for mixed-uses. The analysis presented in this chapter is illustrated by a land-use map drawn by the author using the AutoCAD program. Using the existing land-use map of the City as source, the information is painstakingly plotted on this map with the help of a 400' grid. While the information presented in the map may not be used for legal matters, the map is prepared with utmost care to represent the existing land-use. According to this survey, approximately 37% of the total land area of the City was 'residential' and the residential land-use was the largest of all other uses. This survey also stated that the second largest category of land-use of the City was 'roads' which occupied approximately 20% of the total land area. The 'industrial', and 'commercial' uses took up approximately 14% and 5% respectively (see Table 3.1).     According to the 1986 survey, the land-use activities of the City may be divided into two broad categories. These two broad categories are single-use parcels, and mixed-use parcels of land. Although the majority of the parcels of land of the City are designated as single-use parcels, the mixed use parcels, situated mostly along Broad Street, Dexter Street, and Lonsdale Avenue offer diversity and also take part in the economic activities of the City. Out of a total of 817.88 acres of land, the mixed-use parcels occupy 57.08 acres or 6.98% of the total land area. -35-

Single-use parcels
Out of a total of 817.88 acres of land, the single-use parcels occupy 760.80 acres or 93.02% of the total land area, which presumably is lower than the state average. According to the 1986 survey, the single land-use categories of the City were divided into ten major categories. The 1986 survey further divided the residential land-use into sub-categories of singlefamily, two-family, three-family, and multi-family. In combination, the residential land-use -36 - This study also shows that the road coverage of the City remained unchanged during the last three years. It may be asserted that the City has already been built to its potential leaving no room for the sub-divisions requiring more road coverage. Ironically, with an almost stagnant 2 The Land-use categories shown in the map do not exactly correspond to the categories of the 1986 survey. The map, however, provides an overall land-use pattern of the city.
-37 -CHAPTER THREE: PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 3.1: Land-use built-up situation, the socio-demographic indicators of the City changed substantially during the period under consideration.
The City, however, has responded to the socio-demographic changes in a different way.
In this process, the residential neighborhoods remained residential but the residential units have been constantly sub-divided to accommodate more families -one-family residential units have become two-family residential, two-family residential units have become multi-family residential and so on. Since these changes were not made in a planned way, the population densities of the residential neighborhoods, and the City, became unusually high, the number of school-age children exceeded the capacity of the school district, and the City failed to provide necessary services to its residents. It is to be noted that the school system of Central Falls has been taken over by the State.

Conclusion
Similar to the land-use situation, the analysis of the housing situation of the City reveals characteristics which are not common to the state. In the next chapter of this report housing situation of the city is analyzed. The housing analysis will be the concluding chapter for the analysis of physical indicators as well as the profile of Central Falls.  It is not only the unusual social attributes that screens the City from the rest of the state, the associated physical characteristics, too, if analyzed, reveal more differences. It will be unjust to blame the social attributes being the cause of the physical characteristics, or, the vice-versa, but they are, indeed, mutually dependent on each other. In this chapter, the analysis exposes the visible signs of deterioration of housing of this small, historic city of Rhode Island.
First, special attention is given to the overall housing conditions of the City. Similar to the earlier sections of the report, the analysis presented here are based on secondary data sources. The two major sources of information used in this section are the US Census reports, 1970 through 1990, and the Comprehensive Plan of the City.
The analysis of housing, as presented in this section, are divided into few categories which are, owner-renter relationship, physical conditions of housing, financial characteristics, affordability gap, and utility characteristics.

Owner Renter Relationships
A crucial indicator of housing situation of a community is its ratio of owner and renter population. It may be stated that a property is better maintained while it is enjoyed fully by its owner. The enjoyment may either come from its use, or from appropriate financial value (rent).
On the other hand, an owner, developing a property fully for the renters will probably limit budget towards the materials usage only to the extent it is required by the local building code. This is true from the maintenance/management point of view too. Over the course of the last three decades the percentages of renter population of the City has been exorbitantly high compared to its owner population. The results of such distribution are revealed in the analysis of physical conditions of housing (3.2.3).

Physical Conditions of Housing
The overall physical conditions of the housing stock of this City are not very well praised in the Comprehensive .Plan of the City. According to the Plan, more than three thousand of the

Financial Characteristics
The poor upkeep of property and unsatisfactory maintenance of systems not only present unpleasant visual experience but also have immense effect on the property value.
Reiterating my argument in the introduction of this chapter, physical characters and property values are mutually dependent and directly affect one another.
In this section of the report financial characteristics of the selected housing stock of the   Table 3.10).  Table 3.11).  Table 3.12).

Affordability Gap
Considering the prevailing financial characteristics of the owner and renter-occupied housing units and the median income of the residents, the City, in its Comprehensive Plan, has put together an analysis called 'affordability gap'. Essentially, the study identifies the reasons behind low owner-occupied units and high renter-occupied units of the City. Accordingly, the analysis is divided into two categories; affordability of the owners, and affordability of the renters.
Affordability of the owners: This analysis is based on the median sale price of a house, median income of the residents, income needed to purchase a house at the median sale price, and the appropriate down-payment @ 10% of the principal. According to this analysis, the residents of the City probably are more likely to be a renter than a owner.

Utility Characteristics
In this analysis the focus is the physical size (number of rooms) of the housing units. It is not only the financial characteristics, the visual decay, or the abnormally high renter percentages, the actual size of housing units in this City, in comparison with the State and the County are lower. Considering all available data sources, one of the greatest needs of this city is affordable, decent, safe, and sanitary family housing for the low and moderate-income households. However, much progress in housing may not be achieved without considering the associated social attributes.
-47 - approach is used. The analysis begins with a description of the study area, and is subsequently followed by a review of selected socio-demographic and physical characteristics. The sociodemographic indicators used are property value, and type of houses. The analysis of physical characteristics include land-use analysis, zoning analysis, and figure-ground analysis.

Study Area
As mentioned before, the study area is bounded by Cowden Street to the North, Illinois Street to the East, Rand Street to the South, and Lonsdale Avenue to the West (See Map 4).
The study area is 73.35 acres (0.1 Square Mile) 5 , approximately 10% of the total land area of the City. For the purpose of this analysis, the study area is divided into 18 blocks, A through T (letters 'I' and 'O' are not used for possible confusion with numbers '1' and 'O).
The study area occupies parts of the Tax Assessor's Plat # 6 and Plat # 8. There are 414 lots in the study area of which 240 are in Plat # 6 while the rest are in Plat # 8. The blocks are defined solely by the street pattern and therefore are of various sizes. Block S is the smallest with about 22,000 SF while Block A is the largest with more than 300,000 SF of land area. (See Table 4.1 for selected infonnation, a detailed description of the Plats and Lots within the area is presented in Appendix XIII) The street pattern of the study area is based on a gridiron system. While most of the streets are originally laid maintaining the grid system, a noticeable break in hannony is found in the western side, possible reason being natural features such as topography. The streets within the study area occupy 680, 171.40 SF of land which is 21.3% of the whole area.
A study of the lot numbering sequence on the Tax Assessor's maps of the City confinns that a substantial number of lots were created as requested by the owners by subdividing small lots to even smaller percales of land. In a few instances triangular lots are created with almost unusable acute angles. It may be affinned that the subdivisions lacked long-tenn planning.
5The acreage is computed directly from the AutoCAD drawings and may not be used for legal purposes. The drawings are digitized manually with utmost care and satisfactorily represent the actual situation. According to the US Census of Population and Housing, 1990, Central Falls has a total land area of 1.20 square mile, while, according to the Map of Central Falls, digitized by the Author, the total land area, computed automatically by the software, is 1.255 (4% error) square mile.
-49 -i:;     Out of a total of the 40 properties of the case study cluster, 50% are valued at $75,000 or less including approximately 6% of the properties valued at less than $50,000. On the higher side, the rest of the 50% properties are valued at $75,000 or more with only approximately 13% of the properties valued at more than $100,000. On the average, therefore, a 6,000 SF lot, with a 6This is a sample of lots assessed for various real estate reason. Thus, these are a cluster of marketable properties.
-51 -'\ CHAPTER FOUR: CASE STUDY residential house in the study area is priced at approximately $80,000. It is to be noted here that these figures are based on only the properties assessed during 1994, 1995, and 1996. It may be assumed that the sample did not include the severely dilapidated houses of the neighborhood.

Type of Properties
In this section a simple statistical estimate of the types of properties of the study area is computed. In this procedure percentage distribution of the types of properties of the sample is computed first. Then the percentages are applied to the actual total number of properties of the study area. According to these estimates, 50% of all properties of the study area are 3-family residential properties with a total estimated number of 207. The study area has only 22 singlefamily properties constituting only 5.3% of all properties. In addition, the study area has 87 twofamily properties and 55 four-family properties.

Physical Characteristics
The information required for the analysis of the physical characteristics of the study area are collected from the various maps produced for the previous chapters of the research project.
In addition, the figure ground map is produced manually to represent the analysis of solids and voids of the study area.

Zoning Analysis
The zoning analysis of the study area reveals conflicts between zoning and actual land uses. The areas of conflict are not so apparent for the residential uses, however, parts of commercial and all industrial activities of the City directly contradicts the city zoning ordinances (See Map 6).
According to the zoning ordinance, 5.7% of the total land, 180916.71 SF on the eastern comer of the study area, is zoned R-2 7 , and apparently there are no conflicts with the actual land-uses. Lots along parts of Darling Street and Summer Street and Garfield Street in entirety are zoned R-4 8 • A wind-shield survey of the actual land-use along Garfield Street supports the ordinance. Approximately 22% of the total land area of the study area falls under this category.
The majority of the study area, however, is zoned R-3 9 • An approximate 62% land of the study area is zoned as R-3.  ... ,, (\ ''li110;,,, s·1 . • l"'f ) r-i t ·t "' <;., confirms that the block is not zoned as industrial area. This figure ground analysis also confirms that the intensities of residential land-uses are maximum in the blocks B, D, and F along Summer, Garfield, and Darling streets. This, however, is supported by the zoning ordinance.
According to the zoning ordinance, this is the only area in the study area where up to four-family residential houses may be constructed. -----·--------· ----. -

Conclusion
In this case study, the author attempted to present only some of the attributes of the study area which might be interesting from the point of view of city planning and urban development. If time permitted, the case study could have been performed in a block-by-block or in a house-by-house basis. This case study, however, may also be looked as a ground work for further research in the subject, or in similar subjects. The information provided as appendices to various chapter of this research project may also be used for basic information for further research.
Unquestionably, the study area, and also the City in its entirety, provide a very interesting case study of city planning, as it relates to high density neighborhoods. Although the city has been thoroughly built physically, tools of city planning can still offer ways of improving quality of life in the city.
The following chapter proposes a few recommendations to improve the quality of life in the study area as well as in the city in the long run. It is to be noted here that none of the recommendations, if implemented, will change the quality of life within the city dramatically in a short period of time. These recommendations, however, are conceived as policies for long-term planning.

Summary of Findings
The preceding analysis served to distinguish Central Falls from the other cities and towns in Rhode Island. It is to be noted here that the intentions behind the analysis presented in the ear1ier chapters of this study were not meant to demean the City of Central Falls in any way, neither was it an attempt to merely apply the statistical tools of the City and Regional Planning in the perspective of social and physical attributes of the City.
From the inception of this study, the author discussed the existing situation of the City with various residents of Rhode Island, including former residents of Central Falls and professionals involved in city and regional planning. For the most part, however, only negative and neutral comments about the City were encountered. Subsequently initial research regarding the City confirmed that few studies were made in the past to highlight the historic, social, and other attributes of the City, and most of these studies took a qualitative approach only. One of the principal intentions behind this project was, thus, to quantify the social as well as physical attributes of the City. Such quantifiable evidences were presented in the ear1ier chapters of this study.
In this chapter, however, a few policy recommendations are made. These recommendations, if adopted, may not change the quality of life within the city immediately. The recommendations are conceived as tools for long range planning with an intention of making the city safer, more sanitary, and more decent in the long run. If successfully executed, it is hoped that the recommendations will have positive effect on the city with a consequential i.ncrease in the property value.
According to the ear1ier analysis, housing density of this City is 15 times more than the State, population density, too, is approximately 15 times more than the State, the median household income is approximately little more than half of the state average, and the percentage of renter population is twice as much as the state figure. In author's opinion, therefore, the results of any improvement plan for Central Falls, if successfully implemented, will essentially reduce these differences to the extent possible. In other words, the author believes that any improvement plan for the city should be approached as a process of reducing these differences.

CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS
If successfully carried out, the policies based on the above mentioned approach will eventually improve the quality of life within the city. The recommendations presented in this chapter, thus, is based upon two goals derived diredly from this philosophy: • balancing social and physical differences between the city and the state; and • promoting carefully regulated physical improvements within the city

Recommendations
Although the recommendations are essentially direded towards an overall improvement of quality of life within the city, for the purpose of clarity they are divided into three broad categories. In the first category the ways of improving overall housing situation is discussed, while the later two categories discuss policies on land-use and zoning, and possible implementation of an urban design plan.

Housing Situation
The recommendations on housing are based on a few findings of the housing analysis presented in the Chapter 3. As mentioned earlier the median value of a house in Central Falls in 1990 was $100,200, while the median for the state in 1990 was $133,500 (see Table 3.12). Also, while only approximately 22% housing units of the City are occupied by owner, about 55% of all housing units in the state are owner-occupied (see Table 3.9).
Again, according to the comprehensive plan of the City the median sale price of a house in the city is $106,000. The plan also suggests that while the income needed to buy a $106,000 house is $47,210, the median income in the city is only $27,780. Therefore, in order to improve the housing situation the City should consider the following : • improving dollar earning capabilities of the residents -this includes trade related training; • improving owner/renter ratio from the existing 31 : 100 to 50: 100 in the next 15 to 20 years; and • physical improvements of the houses to increase the property values.
As we can see, the improvements of the overall housing situation of the City depend on the economic condition, on the property value, and on the balance of the owner/renter ratio. -59 -

Land-Use and Zoning Situation
The land-use/zoning recommendations are based on the findings of chapters on landuse and case-study. In chapter 3, we have seen that a substantial amount of land in the City is being used for industrial, commercial, and service related purposes. While the residential landuses take up 35% land, the above mentioned land-uses, in combination, take up approximately 15% land (see Table 3.5). Similar to the unusual balance of owners and renters of the City, the balance of residential, commercial, industrial, and service land-uses of the City, too, is unusual in Central Falls. In addition, only 50% of all residential land-uses of the City is single-family or two-family residential houses, the other 50% being in the three-family or multi-family category (see Table 3.5).
The analysis of the study area reveals additional information on non-conforming landuses. The zoning analysis of the study area (see Table 4.5) shows that only residential (R-2, R-3, and R-4) and commercial (C-2) uses are allowed in the study area. The analysis of land-use (see Table 4.4), however, shows that Block k, in entirety, is being used as industrial/manufacturing purposes.
A study of the plat and lot maps of the City shows irregularity in sequence of numbering the lots. This reveals evidences of numerous sub-divisions of already small lots. In addition, it is found that the zoning ordinance of the City was written in the 1960s and has not been modified substantially to fit today's purposes. It is also found that the zoning categories of the City are not quantifiable. For example, according to the zoning ordinance, R-1 designates the area where only single-family residential houses can be built, but it does not specify neither the minimum lot sizes nor the maximum lot coverage. It is also found that the zoning ordinance does not specify the FAR's 10 for individual type of lots.
The recommendations in land-uses, thus, are directed towards increasing single family houses in the City, reducing non-conforming land-uses, revising the zoning ordinance, and 1°F AR (Floor Area Ratio) is defined as ratio of the total floor area in all floors and the total lot size of a property.
-60 -CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS renumbering the existing lot numbering scheme of the city. The recommendations in this chapter are as follows.
• It is recommended that the City reviews its existing zoning ordinance, and publish new or modified zoning ordinance to fit the existing and the future needs of the City.
It is recommended that the new zoning ordinance of the City quantifies the categories of use, and introduces 'minimum lot size' and 'maximum lot coverage' for all new construction and also for addition/alteration to existing structures. It is recommended that the new ordinance allows only single-family residential houses for the whole City and neighborhood commercial structures only in the selected areas within the City. It is also suggested that such activities are allowed only in the lots larger than or equal to 6,000 SF. It is also suggested that the new ordinance allows addition/alterations to the existing dilapidated/boarded-up houses only when the proposed modified structure meets the 'minimum lot size' and 'maximum lot coverage' and use standards as specified in the zoning ordinance. Evidently, such an ordinance will initiate 'taking' related cases and therefore sufficient background research has to be done to prove the purposes of such ordinance.
• Although Central Falls is built almost to its capacity, it is strongly recommended that the City strictly controls use and size of all new constructions and all addition/alteration to the existing structures. It is recommended that the City executes a moratorium on all new constructions, renovation, and subdivision within the limit of the City until the current zoning ordinance is reviewed and rewritten to reflect the present situation of the City.
• It is recommended that the City reviews the extent of non-conforming land-uses within the City. The block K within the study area (see Chapter 4: Case Study) has already been identified as an area with non-conforming land-use, and it is believed that similar study for the whole City may identify more areas with non-conforming land-uses. Once non-conforming land-uses are identified, it is recommended that the City researches the city records to check if any form of 'zoning change' or 'variance' applies to the subject lot(s). If affinnative, the case is to be clearly mentioned in the new zoning ordinance or in a list of variances offered by the City in the past. If negative, legal action is to be taken to solve the situation. It is also recommended that the City does not allow any new variance or zoning change in the next 15 to 20 years.
• It is recommended that the City considers creating open space by demolishing cityowned boarded-up/dilapidated structures where applicable. This action may be taken only where a few structures of these category are situated next to each other.
• During the research for the case study it was found that the sequence of lot numbering for individual plats of the City often are not in order 11 • It may be asserted that such irregularity in lot numbering occurred due to the continuous sub division activities of the lots. It is recommended that the City takes initiatives in re-numbering the lots as, according to the earlier recommendations in this chapter, no more subdivisions are to be allowed before the new zoning ordinance is published.

Urban Design Plan
It is strongly recommended that the City applies for grants to hire a nationally recognized The recommendations of the urban design plan may be implemented experimentally in a small part of the City. Implementation of the plan for the rest of the City may be based on the results of the experiment as state above. Care must be taken in choosing consultant. It is recommended that the chosen consultant has architects, city planners, and urban designers in staff and has experience in similar projects.

Conclusion
The analysis and recommendations presented in this study are on very sensitive issues of Central Falls, and of Rhode Island. It is to be noted here that the purpose of this academic exercise was not to demean Central Falls in any way. Rather, the analysis was conceived as a set of quantifiable background research that may be used for acquiring grants for the betterment of the quality of life in the City.