Weigh in on Our City's Future
Participate in Citywide Charrette
RIGHT NOW!!!
Providence Tomorrow is a year
long planning process created by city government to collect community feedback about the future of our city.
The first big series of forums are taking place THIS WEEK (October 10 – 13th)
We'd love You to take this opportunity to tell city government about your vision for Providence.
PLEASE COME to the first floor of 400 Westminster Street
(at the corner of Westminster and Empire Streets). (Evening sessions are held at URI's downtown campus on Washington Street.)
BELOW are the charrette topics as supplied by providencetomorrow.org and the Department of Planning and Development.
ALSO we have supplied a few (quick, subjective) ideas and thoughts about who might be interested in each charrette.
[Note: These are conversation starters. We wrote down some issues for potential discussion and some organizations we thought would help to broaden the conversation.]
Please pass along the information to anyone you think would have interest. Send any questions, thoughts to ProvMorrowIdeas@gmail.com
THE CHARRETTE TOPICS & WHO SHOULD ATTEND
T U E S D A Y / 10.10.06
PEOPLE AND PUBLIC SPACES: 9-11:30am
"Discussion about how parks and public recreation can enrich our city."
Topics to Address: Jewelry District changes, the re-routing of I-95, Cathedral Sq. being bulldozed, city gardens, Parks in the city that are under utilized.
Who Should Be Invited: Architects, urban planners, CSA’s, Urban Greens, Red Planet, Bank Of America Center People, Farmer Markets, dog park advocates, people who think of “recreation” as something other than “shopping.”
ARTS & CULTURE: 2-4:30pm
“Share your ideas to further transform our City’s internationally acclaimed art and culture destinations.”
Topics to Address: Seeing more local-arts incorporated into new developments and businesses. How can we make it contractual for new developments to support local art? Local festivals, resurgence of affordable live music spaces.
Who Should Be Invited: Local artists; creative business owners; anyone seeking to make sense of a real “development process,” and not just the corporate one; Firehouse 13, The Steelyard, Dirt Palace, New Urban Arts, AS220, Arts and Business Council of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Coucil for the Humanities (RICH).
W E D N E S D A Y / 10.11.06
HOUSING: 9-11:30am
"Discussions to strengthen our neighborhoods by preserving & expanding housing opportunities for all."
Topics to Address: Housing for people who are working class or working within the creative economy, rising rents and taxes as a result of overpriced condos or new developments, really really ugly buildings that keep going up, old buildings that keep being torn down.
Who Should Be Invited: Stakeholders, advocates, owners and residents from neighborhoods whose community is being altered by an influx of development, Rhode Island Housing Authority, neighborhood associations: ONA, DNA, WBNA...
BUSINESS/JOBS: 2-4:30pm
"Share ideas on how we can build a framework so we can continue to encourage new businesses & jobs."
Topics to Address: New corporate interests should be made to adhere to specific community standards. The boom in real estate development. Require RISD, Brown, and other centers of higher learning to pay into the tax-base of Providence. Large scale business ventures should be transparent to the city's residents and workforce.
Who Should Be Invited: Contractors, carpenters, restorationists, Providence Preservation Society, DARE, ONA, City Councilmen and City Councilwomen should bring their thoughts and ideas too. First Source folks (are there any?)
GETTING AROUND: 7-9pm
"Share ideas on how we can get around our city better w/ all types of transportation."
Topics to Address: Bike lanes (not bike paths); encourage the use of alternate transportation in Providence; RIPTA's ineffectual website; update RIPTA's routes; bus pass incentives; initiate pus pass programs at local colleges and universities; 80 million dollars on the ballot in November to go to enhancing road systems, whereas a fraction of that is allocated for enhancing Public Transit (you can vote on that if you want).
Who Should Be Invited: Bikers: make it a critical-mass on a Wednesday night, wear your helmets while walking around. DPW folks should be there, RIPTA bus drivers, Trolley drivers, drivers, anyone that wants to see a safer city for bikers and more crosswalks or easier pedestrianism.
T H U R S D A Y / 10.12.06
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT: 9-11:30am
"Discussion ideas & the importance of our waterfront & natural resources for future generations."
Topics to Address: Water Place Park; Water Fire; Jewelry District changes; affordable recycling for small-businesses; actual enforcement of recycling citywide; options for recycling in public spaces; penalties to businesses that are wasteful and incentives for businesses who surpass compliance; noise pollution; why doesn’t the DPW have the infrastructure to deal with recycling in non-municipal areas? [note: Downtown is also a non-municipal area]
Who Should Be Invited: Fox Point Neighborhood Association, Jewelry District Neighborhood Association, Downtown Neighborhood Association, that architectural firm that was granted all the rights to revamp the Jewelry District, Rhode Island Resource and Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), the Department of Public Works (DPW), Woonasquatucket River Watershed Coucil, any waterfront area that is threatened for some reason or has not been developed, the businesses and restaurants from Water Place Park.
THE BUILT ENVRIONMENT: 2-4:30pm
"The renewed interest in developing Providence shows no signs of abating. How will this new development compliment the character for which Providence is renowned? Come share your ideas on how we can realize a bold new vision of 21st century urban livability that preserves and enhances our distinctive character."
Topics to Address: Historic stewardship and how it can play a role in affordable housing; the reasons overpriced face-lifts for buildings contribute little or nothing to our national prosperity; tax stabilization issues (i.e. The 903); what are we doing to leverage public amenities ( ie low income housing funds/parks/utility costs) from private developers? What’s happening to the inclusionary zoning work? Why is it more difficult for smaller building projects to receive the same support as the large real estate businesses?
Who Should Be Invited: All Neighborhood Associations, architects, the Design Review Committee (DRC), preservationists, all smaller scale building developments (DP, SY, FH13, AS220), 669 Elmwood, Loom, any collectives from Brown or RISD (there are some), Providence Preservation Society (PPS), Paolino and Associates, Cornish Associates, Streuver Bros. Eccles & Rouse, whomever is building 110 Westminster, whomever is building those apartments by the Safety Complex, whomever is building, Crossroads, The 903, Westin Hotel People, Sierra Suites Extended Hotel Corporation.
Friday October 13th: 400 Westminster Street is open all day: So you can STOP IN and see all the progress that the CONSULTING TEAM FROM KANSAS has made!
Saturday October 14th 9am - 11am:
OPEN HOUSE and FINAL WRAP UP.
Refreshments and Door Prizes.
