How to Make Providence a Better City

Providence has recently been showered with accolades: in 2014, Architectural Digest deemed it the best small city in the US, it topped Travel + Leisure’s readers’ poll of America’s Favorite Places and a few months ago GQ dubbed it “America’s Coolest City.” The arts and culinary scene, rich history and, yes, WaterFire, generate a lot of buzz. But the capital city’s residents, in all of its diverse neighborhoods, know that there are many aspects beyond the bright lights that need to be improved for Providence to attain top-tier status. 

So we invited a half-dozen local experts to weigh in on six topics that are vital to Providence’s quality of life and evolution: creating opportunities and using the city’s size to its advantage; how to retain college students; I-195 redevelopment; neighborhood initiatives; education; and transportation. Check out their thinking and see if their ideas match out with yours. Dig in, get inspired and get involved. 

Providence’s Global Positioning
By Andy Cutler, founder of Smaller Cities Unite! 

Why should cities like Providence be better connected to other cities? Former Toronto Mayor David Miller, recently cited in The Chicago Tribune, may have said it best: “In a world where national governments are negotiating more and more trade agreements that make national borders much less relevant, it is essential for cities to have a strategy for international relations. Otherwise, they risk becoming insular and isolated.” Not to mention irrelevant. 

But imagine a Providence that is able to model a civic pride campaign after Dearest Scotland, or learn from other bike-friendly cities like Utrecht or Bogota on approaches to developing our bicycle infrastructure. We applaud curiosity in students, why not in cities and its citizens? How Providence becomes better at developing sustainable energy policies, creating innovative learning environments and developing new ways to think about public transportation are all challenges we face moving forward. Some of the answers to those challenges live here, and some don’t. That’s a reality we should embrace, not question or fear. 

But it’s not just about Providence being a “taker” in this equation. We can be a “giver” in ways that are highly valued globally. Missouri-based Ulytic uses sensors to track things like pedestrian and vehicular traffic, as well as air quality. When their cofounder, Billy Martin, visited Providence recently he was so impressed, he quipped, “Providence’s open-mindedness and welcoming spirit is unlike any city I have visited. If Providence commits to leveraging those traits, I believe it will create a coveted position for itself as a catalyst, a collaborator and a convener, in ways that other cities cannot.” Our strongest position on the global chessboard is to be the place where people go to share their ideas, experiment, are mentored and welcomed all at the same time – creating a new crop of global ambassadors for our city. 

Harnessing Brain Power
By Sam Seidel, Student Experience Lab Director at the Business Innovation Factory

Some thoughts on how Providence can do better at retaining college students after graduation (based on the personal experiences of a guy who came to town to attend college 17 years ago and is still here): 

1) What colleges can do: Through work-study programs, public service centers and courses that require community engagement, colleges can support students in building off-campus connections (crucial in this process is interrogating the dynamics of power and privilege inherent in college students “volunteering” in the community). I had a work-study placement at Big Picture Learning, which allowed me to see how I could pursue my passion around national education transformation from Providence. I was highly involved at Brown’s public service center, which introduced me to local schools. I took courses that required work with community organizations (in my first semester this led me to AS220, where I ended up working upon graduating).

2) What businesses/organizations can do: Approaching graduation, many students feel unsettled by the idea of becoming untethered from the institution that has held them for four years.  Local organizations and businesses investing time and trust in students makes it possible for students to find not just jobs but communities in which to anchor themselves upon graduating.

3) What government can do: The size of our state is an awesome advantage. When city and state officials make themselves accessible, graduates see opportunity. Building AS220’s youth program, we were able to meet with the mayor, and the directors of state departments of education, health, and children, youth and families. Rhode Island’s miniscularity allowed us to make broader impact faster.

I-195: The Road To “New Urbanism”
By Joe Azrack, chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment Commission 

The I-195 parcels represent a unique opportunity to demonstrate the state’s ability to renew and revitalize itself by creating a vibrant, urban, mixed-use environment that will stimulate employment growth and economic development beyond the bounds of the I-195 sites. 

The I-195 property, which arcs through the city, is a relatively small but critical part of the Providence landscape. For many years, the Jewelry District was separated from adjoining neighborhoods by the highway. We now have the opportunity to physically and functionally reconnect the Jewelry District with its neighboring communities. 

The time to act is now. Local sponsors are looking for opportunities to upgrade or grow their businesses. The national economy is strong; interest rates are low. Governor Raimondo has new incentives to attract developers and businesses to the site and the City of Providence is putting in place tax stabilization for the district. 

There is a wave of what I would call “New Urbanism” sweeping America where boomers and millennials alike are voting with their feet in favor of urban (versus suburban) living. Cities with safe streets, a clean environment, first-rate educational institutions and health care, urban amenities such as parks, waterfront access, bike paths and public transit, and an affordable cost of living are highly sought after. Today, employers locate to be near a well-educated and skilled work force. The work force in turn is attracted by strong educational institutions, a 24/7 urban environment and quality of life amenities. In addition to its intrinsic advantages, Providence is easily accessible to two of the most vibrant cities – Boston and New York – in the world, not to mention Narragansett Bay and Cape Cod. Rhode Island has many competitive advantages relative to its competition; we just need to reestablish our status as a highly desirable place to live and work. 

We have more than 4,000,000 square feet of buildable improvements on I-195 land with existing zoning. This floor area will accommodate corporate or institutional requirements for a long time and a mix of exciting uses. 

One Neighborhood at a Time
By Marjorie Powning and David Riley, co-chairs of Friends of India Point Park

We founded Friends of India Point Park (FIPP) in 2000 because we felt the park needed an advocate during the relocation of I-195 and “trees don’t vote.” Soon after we started FIPP, a Brown University official dismissed us as “ankle-biters” while we battled and eventually defeated Brown’s proposed 700-car parking garage across the street from the park.

We adopted the phrase as a badge of honor and have fought over the last 15 years to stop the built environment from encroaching on the City’s only expanse of natural shoreline open to the public. Our longstanding goal is to bury the high-voltage power lines that mar the park and the downtown waterfront. 

There are a host of ways citizens can get involved in neighborhood groups on the East Side to improve the quality of life in Providence. Five umbrella neighborhood associations, representing the Fox Point, Wayland Square, College Hill, Mount Hope and Summit neighborhoods, host debates between political candidates, provide forums for officials to meet with citizens and take on a variety of causes. These include testifying about the scale and scope of proposed buildings and commercial establishments and addressing excessive noise from nightclubs and Brown student parties. 

FIPP is one of a dozen friends-of-the-park groups on the East Side engaged in collective initiatives to improve and activate public spaces by sponsoring annual clean ups, removing graffiti and invasive plants, upgrading playground equipment, planting trees, hosting concerts and other activities, sometimes battling the powers-that-be and collaborating with elected representatives and city and state officials. 

Editor’s Note: Another excellent example of community activism comes from the Summit Neighborhood Association which has set up charettes to bring new businesses to North Main Street, supported green power planning for Hope Street, collaborated on major music festivals for Lippitt Park and organized volunteers to assist older residents shoveling their walks. 

Empowering Education
By Christopher N. Maher, interim superintendent of Providence Public Schools 

Education must be at the epicenter of efforts to make a better city. We owe it to our children and to ourselves as a society, to ensure a quality education for every child in Providence. Mayor Elorza has made this a pillar of his administration, and I am honored to lead the school district in continuing efforts to rapidly improve our delivery of a quality education to every child. 

I’ve made it a priority to visit every school in Providence as I enter this role, meeting with students, principals, teachers, staff and parents. On these visits, I have seen many great things happening in our schools. 

Each school is unique, with its own student population and different strengths and needs. However, what we all share is a genuine desire to help students succeed. As a city, we must support those educators who invest so much time and effort into their work, ensuring that they are empowered and equipped to take on the myriad needs of their students. And we must support our students so that they have multiple quality options to pursue in life when they leave our public school system. 

To accomplish all of this, we must be willing to be flexible and adapt as different needs arise in different schools to ensure that every school can best serve its own student body. Much of this flies in the face of the structure and expectations traditionally associated with public school systems. And change is not always comfortable. However, we are committed to working collaboratively to effect change, to align ourselves with 21st-century opportunities and obligations for our students. We will do this work with a constant lens of what is best for students, and ultimately for the future of Providence. 

Transportation of the Future
By Abel Collins, a member of the executive, political and communications committees of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club

Compact and relatively flat, Providence is an ideal place for a pedestrian and cyclist culture that will help keep and attract the talented young people that RI needs to thrive. If we use Portland, Oregon as a model, we can imagine more than 6% of commuters on bike. City Hall is aware of this potential and does have an official Bike Plan, but at less than 1% now, it will take more investment. A bikeshare program, similar to Hubway in Boston, is coming and will provide an added impetus to construct much-needed protected bike lanes. Done right, these lanes will connect in a coherent system that also integrates the Blackstone River, East Bay and Woonasquatucket River Bike Paths. Other projects of note are City Walk, which will connect the Jewelry/Knowledge District to Roger Williams Park, and the overhaul of Routes 6 and 10, which should incorporate a major transit component and turn them into boulevard-like streets that reconnect Providence’s West End and Southside neighborhoods, making the whole city more walkable. 

Lyft, Uber and Zipcar are established and, as these businesses grow, residents will find it less necessary to use cars. Improvements at the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority will continue to make it easier to ditch the automobile. Bus rapid transit is here with the R-line. Transit App on your phone shows you when the next bus is coming, and the buses and Kennedy Plaza finally have real-time information. Even the commuter rail is expanding, and the rumor is that high-speed Amtrak service will be stopping at Providence Station, which is slated to be upgraded into a comprehensive transit hub. 

It’s a good bet that Mayor Elorza is going to see these changes through and probably come up with some even better ideas of his own. He deserves applause for leading by example with his biking, and for his choice to get more kids taking RIPTA to school. Now, let’s see those protected bike lanes.