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Increased Density is Desirable for Providence
- It increases the diversity of the city
- It builds the tax base
- More people can live where they work, and work where they live, increasing personal investment in the city
- Amenities follow density
- More density = more population = more political influence both locally and nationally
- More government, schools, and industry accountability
- Creates critical masses of people to demand and consume retail, entertainment, arts, and open space
Opportunities to Increase Density NOW
- Increase taxes on parking lots and other “dead space” to spur development
- Allow for more height
- Upgrade our infrastructure to support more density
- Develop mass transit (ex: rail) to support more density
- Allow developers to build more densely if they give back open space, parking, or arts funding to the city
Visionary Goal for Providence Density
- Restore Providence’s population to 250,000 by 2050!
Where Density WORKS for Providence
- Federal Hill
- Fox Point
- Wayland Square
- Thayer Street/College Hill
- Downtown
- Armory District
- Broadway
- Smith Hill
Why do they work? These are mixed use areas of residential, commercial, and retail activity. They are walkable and have excellent mass transit access. They also have unique and differing identities, scaling, and character
Where Land Use Doesn’t Work
- North Main St
- Hospital Parking Lots
- Jewelry Dist
- Olneyville Square
- Downtown Parking
Increased Height is Desirable for Providence
- It increases the tax base
- It concentrates land use
- It is uses city resources more efficiently
- It creates more affordable housing
- More units = more affordability
- It creates invaluable identity and “sense of place”
- It makes our city look like a city
- It is a tool of density, creating a critical mass of residents working and living in taller buildings who will support local businesses (restaurants, markets, retail) and the arts
Hidden Height, Surprising Height
- Height stepbacks preserve intimate, scalable streetscapes
- Height is about buildings, not about absolute feet
- A good, well designed tall building is still a good building
- It’s not height that makes a building good or bad
Did you know these iconic, beloved buildings are some of the city’s tallest? Is their height a problem?
Rhode Island State House
Height: 223 feet
Ranked: 6th tallest in Providence
Providence Biltmore Hotel
Height: 220 feet
Ranked: 7th tallest in Providence
First Baptist Church
Height: 184 feet
Ranked: 9th tallest in Providence
Turks Head Building
Height: ~170 feet
Ranked: 15th tallest in Providence
Building information from Emporis. Photos from Garris Photography.
Opportunities to Improve Providence Walking and Transit NOW:
- A new “clean slate” RIPTA system map needs to be developed
- Consider cutting remote and duplicate RI state routes
- A downtown circulator/connector route is needed
- Tourism and “destination” oriented routes are needed
- New routes without Kennedy Plaza connectors are needed. Examples:
- Federal Hill to Providence College
- East Side/Fox Point to S. Providence and hospitals
- West End/Valley/Elmwood to Olneyville
- Start a new bus route along the future S. County Rail Line in preparation
- Investigate future ferry routes (Bristol to Providence?)
- Better timing of street lights are needed along high volume roads
- Repairing sidewalks and cross signals are critical, as are new bike routes
Visions for the future:
- Replace Kennedy Plaza by a system of neighborhood oriented nodes
- Lightrail in locations of high benefit, including: Allen’s Ave, Elmwood Ave, Smith Street, Promenade, Broad Street, North Main, and the East Side Rail Tunnel
Transit: Likes
- $1.50 connects the entire state
- You can walk anywhere downtown in 30 minutes or less
- The Green Line Trolley is an excellent route
Transit: Dislikes
- Within city bus service is not frequent enough
- High volume neighborhood bus stops are underdeveloped
- They need heaters, benches, and canopies
- Bus stops have inadequate signage
- More maps, routing information, what is nearby, etc is needed
- The drivers are hard to hear and understand. Recorded announcements are needed
- The Gold Line Trolley needs to be rethought
- The following pedestrian aspects are currently very weak:
- Signage
- Connections (from Valley to Federal Hill, for example)
- Walk/Don’t Walk signals
- Crosswalks
Bret and I were interviewed for Providence City News at Tuesday’s charrette session. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
My City: Providence Tomorrow
This week marks the beginning of Providence Tomorrow, a series of multi-day meetings (called “charrettes”) where residents, business owners, and community members join city planners to share in the process of devising the City’s next comprehensive plan. An array of activities will help to facilitate discussions around the future of parks, public spaces, arts and culture, housing, jobs, transportation, and the environment.
City News caught up with three participants at Tuesday’s sessions to ask them about their thoughts on the charrette and the future of their city.
How did you find out about the charrette and why did you come today?
Jef Nickerson: I’ve known about it. I came today because I want to make sure my viewpoints are heard, and I’m very interested about the City and its future.
Bret Ancowitz: I think this is an important time in the city. Caring about the city as much as I do, I want to make sure my viewpoint is heard.
What are your expectations?
Jef: My hope and expectation is that out of this process, that we have a clearer path for development for this city so that future development can go smoother and more predictable.
Bret: My personal expectation is just to have a forum for my viewpoint. My larger expectation is that the community has had enough of a voice in the process to move on.
In the invitation to residents, the organizers of the charrettes asked the following questions: What makes Providence a great city? How should we plan for future growth? What principles should guide us as the city changes? What is your take on the questions that were posed?
Jef: Providence is a great city because it’s a city. There are many suburbs that masquerade as a city but Providence is a real city. Providence has all the ingredients that make a great city – the diversity of people, the diversity of architecture, the diversity of cultural opportunities, restaurants, and nightlife. Everything I need is within two miles from my home and that I can get there on foot.
Bret: I think the hyper urban, hyper density of Providence is what makes it great. It has the amenities of a big city within a small compact space.
I think we should plan for future growth within an urban footprint. I believe they should plan it to the model of better walkability, mass transit, and economic opportunity.
See the complete article at Providence City News
One of the things the organizers of the Providence Tomorrow charrettes asked participants to do was take photos of things they want visitors to Providence to see, and things they don’t want them to see. Here’s my homework assignement:
Image from Wikipedia.
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