New Urbanism in Providence
During an Urban Lab exercise at the Congress for the New Urbanism (June 1-4), Architect/planner Robert Alminana discusses his team's calibration of SmartCode zoning for Providence. Among the participants is Rhode Island's Steve Durkee (2nd from left) of the architectural firm Durkee, Brown, Viveiros and Werenfels.
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'Power of Place Summit'Resource
Column
See
who participated(use 'smart'
as the password)
Post Summit Survey
Following the Power of Place
Summit, we surveyed the nearly 500 participants -
planners, architects, state and local officials,
business leaders and citizens - asking what they
think about Land-Use 2025, what it offers their
communities as well as their priorities for
implementation. The results below reflect all
completed responses and represent approximately
20% of Summit attendees.
Complete Survey Results
Sample
Highlights
- What do you think are the most important ways
that RI's new Land-Use Plan can make a
difference in your
community?
- If you were designing a plan to promote the
smart growth concepts contained in Land Use 2025
in your community, what issues/messages would you
emphasize?
Workshop Session Notes
With the help of several volunteers
from the Statewide Planning Division, we have
assembled notes from each of the workshop
sessions held during The Power of Place Summit. In
some cases, there were two note-takers and
therefore two sets of notes.
Grow Smart Board of
Directors
Michael F. Ryan
Chairman of the Board
Susan Arnold
William Baldwin
Joseph Caffey
Robert L. Carothers
Arnold Chace
Jen Cookke
Trudy Coxe
Stephen J. Farrell
Thomas E. Freeman
J. Joseph Garrahy
John R. Gowell, Jr.
Michael S. Hudner
Stanley J. Kanter
Howard M. Kilguss
Thomas A. Lawson
Dennis Langley
James Leach
Roger Mandle
Rev. James C. Miller
Thomas V. Moses
George Nee
B. Michael Rauh, Jr.
Gary Sasse
Richard Schartner
Deming Sherman
Merrill Sherman
Curt Spalding
James F. Twaddell
Ranne Warner
Sandra Whitehouse
Frederick C. Williamson
W. Edward Wood
Board Listing with
Affilliation
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Become an e-Brief Sponsor
Display at your city or town hall, local library or place of business
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Smart Growth
Grow Smart Staff
Scott Wolf Executive Director
Sheila Brush
Director of Programs
John Flaherty
Director of Research & Communications
Leslie Denomme
Executive Assistant for Finance
Dorothy Dauray
Office Assistant
Dee Dee Lozano
Training Coordinator
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Dear John,
You're among the 2,962 civic leaders,
state & local officials, development professionals,
journalists and visionary citizens getting the latest
news, happenings and trends in the smart growth
movement from Grow Smart
Rhode Island.
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| State investment strategy seen as highest priority for implementing Land-Use 2025 |
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May 12th Power of Place Summit attendees
responding to survey say the state should prioritize
capital investments to steer future growth to urban,
town and village centers
Whether through state aid for school or library
construction, siting of new public facilities
such as courthouses or through financial incentives
for business development, housing or other
infrastructure, respondents to an electronic survey
following the Power of Place Summit identified a
strategy of targeted state investments to urban,
town and village centers as the single most
important of nine strategies listed for influencing
smarter growth (view full results of this survey
question).
 The results follow two
compelling keynote presentations at the Summit.
Both Massachusetts and Maryland were profiled for
their success in re-directing state investments to
achieve smarter growth. Doug Foy, former
Secretary of the Massachusetts Office for
Commonwealth Development, spoke about his role in
govermental "silo-busting" that led to a more efficient
strategy of investing state funds in communities that
are engaged in smart growth.
 Later in the day, former
Maryland Governor Parris Glendening spoke
of his experience influencing smarter growth in
Maryland as its Governor from 1995 to 2003.
He explained how he led the creation of a
groundbreaking initiative that conserved tax dollars
by using the entire $23 billion Maryland state budget
as an incentive for steering development and
investment to more efficient existing centers and
adjacent areas with infrastructure, while enhancing
conservation of farm and forest land and other open
spaces.
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| Providence draws praise as host for New Urbanism conference |
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Providence hosted more than 1,500 architects, urban
planners and designers, government officials and
developers at the annual meeting of the Congress for
the New Urbanism (CNU). The conference showcased
the city, which has undergone a dramatic
transformation as a hub for the arts, design,
restaurants, retail and residences.
With its old buildings well-preserved or beautifully
restored, a revitalized downtown and officials
committed to further improvements, Providence
amazed attendees at the four-day conference. CNU
co-founder and key leader Andrés Duany told a
seminar that's ... [More]
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| Grow Smart honored in PPS Hall of Fame |
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Preservation society honors fifty individuals and
organizations in celebration of its 50th anniversary
The Providence Preservation Society named Grow
Smart Rhode Island as one of its 50th Hall of Fame
inductees at a State House ceremony on May 4,
2006.
Grow Smart was recognized for its role in positioning
historic preservation in a broader context of
community and economic development and for its
role in the passage and defense of the state historic
tax credit program.
Read more
about all the honorees
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| Grow Smart testifies at CRMC hearing |
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Workshop tackles controversy over the impact of
increased density in sensitive environmental areas
Despite strong advocacy for increased production of
affordable housing - particularly in communities that
fall short of the 10 percent state target - Grow
Smart testifies that it should not come at the
expense of the environment.
Sheila Brush, Grow Smart's Director of
Programs testified before a Coastal Resources
Management Council workshop held on June 14, 2006
in Charlestown. At issue were proposed changes to
the Salt Pond and Narrow River Special Area
Management Plans. The changes would enable
a "substantially complete" low-mod comprehensive
housing permit application (filed before December 14,
2004 as a land development project) to avoid the
CRMC density standards for self-sustaining lands and
lands of critical concern.Brush argued against the
rule change saying "We don't need to develop
affordable housing in fragile, environmentally
sensitive areas". Save The Bay, the
Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association and
numerous Charlestown residents also spoke in
opposition to the rule change.
CRMC staff will review letters and testimony and
prepare a written recommendation to the full Council,
which is expected to consider the rule change in
September.
Read the Grow Smart testimony
* Photo courtesy of Lori
Urso, Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed
Association
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| 'Complete Streets' campaign kicks into high gear |
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The streets of our cities and towns ought to be
for everyone, whether young or old, motorist or
bicyclist, walker or wheelchair user, bus rider or
shopkeeper. But too many of our streets are
designed only for speeding cars, or worse, creeping
traffic jams. They’re unsafe for people on foot or
bike — and unpleasant for everybody.
Now, in communities across the country, a movement
is growing to complete the streets.
States, cities and towns are asking their planners,
engineers and designers to build road networks that
welcome all citizens. [Read
More]
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| Rhode Island leads the region in rate of rising farmland values |
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), Rhode Island farmland values are increasing
at a rate faster than any other state in Northeast -
9.8% from January 1, 2004 to January 1, 2005.
USAToday reports the increase in
values is driven by a number of factors including
continued housing development pressure.
'RI Farmways' launches new website
Rhode Island
FarmWays is a special initiative of the
Rhode Island Center for Agricultural Promotion and
Education ( RICAPE),
established to make our farms
and nature based sites - on land and by the sea -
more visible and accessible to people of all ages and
interests.
The Center's mission is to keep viable Rhode
Island's farm communities, strengthen pride of place
and enhance quality of life.
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| CALENDAR |
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Thursday, June 22
Spearheaded by the Pawtucket
Foundation, focus will be on beautifying the
downtown area and steetscape improvements in the
Barton Street neighborhood.
Pawtucket
Saturday, June 24
This event is a benefit for the
Narrow River Preservation Association (NRPA) and
proceeds from the swim will be used to fund NRPA’s
programs such as the Active Watershed Education
(AWEsome) program being used in local schools and
the River Watch/Watershed Watch water quality
monitoring program, now entering its 15th year.
Kingston
Monday, April 3 (7:30a - 12:30p)
PLACEMATTERS06 is the annual gathering of
the PLACEMATTERS community, where a
national network of practitioners come together to
learn, share, inspire and seed innovation in place,
collectively elevating the art and science of planning
for vibrant, sustainable communities.
Denver, CO
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| 'Growth & Development' in the news |
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National
New England
Statewide
Aquidneck Island
Bristol
Cumberland
East Providence
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