282 replies to this topic

[Cotuit]

PRESS RELEASE

MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL INVITE RESIDENTS TO PLAY A ROLE IN SHAPING PROVIDENCE’S FUTURE
Kick-Off event for Providence Tomorrow: Our City, Our Neighborhoods, Our Future set for Wednesday, July 26 at 6 p.m. at the Roger Williams Park Casino

PROVIDENCE – Mayor David N. Cicilline and members of the Providence City Council today announced the next step in Providence Tomorrow: Our City, Our Neighborhoods, Our future – a unique and inclusive planning process designed to create a framework for growth and preservation of Providence Neighborhoods as the City updates its Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance.

The City will host a citywide Providence Tomorrow workshop on Wednesday, July 26 at 6 p.m. at the Roger Williams Park Casino.  The workshop will prepare residents for a series of upcoming charrettes by providing them with critical information on what’s changed in Providence since the City’s Comprehensive Plan was updated 15 years ago, including demographics, economic trends and current development projects.

Residents will also be asked to participate in a brainstorming session at the workshop and to share their ideas on what they like best about Providence and what they would like to see improved.

The City originally planned to host three community workshops during the summer to educate the public on the planning process.  However, since people are generally busy during the summer, officials determined the best way to reach as many people as possible was to host one major citywide Providence Tomorrow kick-off event.

“This is truly a community process and we are essentially asking residents to be city planners of their own neighborhoods,” said Mayor Cicilline.  “We are updating the Comprehensive Plan at a time of unprecedented economic development activity throughout Providence and this is your opportunity to play an important role in shaping the future of our great city while preserving the unique characteristics that make Providence such a special place.”

City Council President John J. Lombardi observed, “The decisions we make, the plans we craft and implement, the vision and the courage we muster collectively over the coming months, will impact the people of Providence for generations to come.  I am confident, given the talent and integrity of all involved in Providence Tomorrow, that history will judge us most favorably.”

The Providence Tomorrow workshop will not be all work, according to City officials.  It will also include an Ice Cream Social and free raffle with door prizes.

In the fall, a citywide charrette will take place, challenging residents to imagine the future of their city by posing the question: What makes a great city and a great neighborhood?  Charrettes are widely considered to be very effective urban planning tools that utilize intense, multi-day public workshops to harness the talents and interests of community stakeholders.

Information and ideas produced in the charrettes will be used as a framework to update the Comprehensive Plan.  For more information on Providence Tomorrow, contact Paula Baron at (401) 351-4300 or visit the City’s website at providenceri.com.

[mental757]

do you have to be a resident of Providence to attend???

[Cotuit]

mental757, on Jul 13 2006, 03:35 PM, said:

do you have to be a resident of Providence to attend???

I doubt they'll be checking IDs at the door.

[mental757]

Cotuit, on Jul 13 2006, 03:38 PM, said:

I doubt they'll be checking IDs at the door.

alllrightly then...

[Cotuit]

OK, so if the members of UrbanPlanet want to organize to lobby for a more urban Providence, now is the time when we need to organize. I'd like to set up a meeting in advance of the 26th for us to meet and strategize. I'd like a location that is not public, so that we can actually sit down and write stuff down, sketch stuff out, whatever we need to do. I'm going to PM Ari to see if we can get the Peerless roof space, if anyone has any other ideas, let me know. I'd also like to set-up a place to meet before the Providence Tomorrow meeting on the day of the meeting itself, someplace at RWP where we can get together an hour before and have a talk.

The hope that has been bandied about has been to make the UP membership a sort of citywide neighborhood group that lobbies for better urbanism within the city. Anyone who has experience organizing these types of groups, please step up!

The 26th is coming up quick! Let's discuss here, and I'll work on setting up a meeting time/place. Would people be opposed to meeting on a Saturday, most likely the 22nd?

[runawayjim]

Cotuit, on Jul 13 2006, 04:13 PM, said:

OK, so if the members of UrbanPlanet want to organize to lobby for a more urban Providence, now is the time when we need to organize. I'd like to set up a meeting in advance of the 26th for us to meet and strategize. I'd like a location that is not public, so that we can actually sit down and write stuff down, sketch stuff out, whatever we need to do. I'm going to PM Ari to see if we can get the Peerless roof space, if anyone has any other ideas, let me know. I'd also like to set-up a place to meet before the Providence Tomorrow meeting on the day of the meeting itself, someplace at RWP where we can get together an hour before and have a talk.

The hope that has been bandied about has been to make the UP membership a sort of citywide neighborhood group that lobbies for better urbanism within the city. Anyone who has experience organizing these types of groups, please step up!

The 26th is coming up quick! Let's discuss here, and I'll work on setting up a meeting time/place. Would people be opposed to meeting on a Saturday, most likely the 22nd?

i could do the 22nd... i'm thinking about going to the providence tomorrow thing too...

[JimmyGreaves]

I could do the 22nd during the late morning/early afternoon, but weeknights except next Wednesday and Thursday would probably be better for me.

Edited by JimmyGreaves, 13 July 2006 - 02:38 PM.

[Recchia]

I'm not a Providence resident but I'd go.  And Saturdays are usually good for me, more so than during the week.

[Garris]

Cotuit, on Jul 13 2006, 04:13 PM, said:

Anyone who has experience organizing these types of groups, please step up!

Would people be opposed to meeting on a Saturday, most likely the 22nd?

I can make the 22nd.  

I think having the guidance of someone who has organized such efforts is critical to prevent us from wasting time and spinning our wheels.

- Garris

[Dan]

I wonder how much of this will be a presentation of Providence Tomorrow's objective and mission and how much of an opportunity residents will have to speak.

I hope I can be there on Saturday...

[jencoleslaw]

i could be there in the morning on saturday... do we have a location yet?

[Cotuit]

jencoleslaw, on Jul 14 2006, 08:26 AM, said:

i could be there in the morning on saturday... do we have a location yet?

Morning? Saturday? They have mornings on the weekend?  

Garris and Ari have both said that they can't make Saturday, and I'd really like the two of them to be able to make it. Not that I don't want to meet with the people who have said they can make Saturday.

I'm thinking maybe getting a big meeting together so quickly is a little unrealistic, and while there will definately be issued discussed at this workshop, the real meat of the matter will be at the charrette in the fall. Perhaps we should plan to meet early on the 26th at RWP to touch base before the workshop, then maybe stay a bit late to digest what came out of it and plan a reaction to it, and a plan of attack for the charrette. And before we leave on the 26th we should set a time and place for a formal sit down.

We still can have a meeting sometime before the 26th if people want of course. I haven't chosen a space yet, since Ari's out of town, Peerless is off the list. Someone else has offered a space we can use, but not on a Saturday.

Not knowing RWP very well myself, where's the best place to meet in advance of the workshop? (I don't even know where the casino is. I know where the zoo is, and where the natural history musuem is.)

[runawayjim]

Cotuit, on Jul 14 2006, 09:52 AM, said:

Morning? Saturday? They have mornings on the weekend?  

Garris and Ari have both said that they can't make Saturday, and I'd really like the two of them to be able to make it. Not that I don't want to meet with the people who have said they can make Saturday.

I'm thinking maybe getting a big meeting together so quickly is a little unrealistic, and while there will definately be issued discussed at this workshop, the real meat of the matter will be at the charrette in the fall. Perhaps we should plan to meet early on the 26th at RWP to touch base before the workshop, then maybe stay a bit late to digest what came out of it and plan a reaction to it, and a plan of attack for the charrette. And before we leave on the 26th we should set a time and place for a formal sit down.

We still can have a meeting sometime before the 26th if people want of course. I haven't chosen a space yet, since Ari's out of town, Peerless is off the list. Someone else has offered a space we can use, but not on a Saturday.

Not knowing RWP very well myself, where's the best place to meet in advance of the workshop? (I don't even know where the casino is. I know where the zoo is, and where the natural history musuem is.)

the casino is near one of the elmwood ave entrances i think.

i'd prefer to meet during the week, unless it's later on a saturday.  i don't do weekend mornings, and if the weekend is nice, i'll probably be at the beach since that weekend is the one weekend in july that i'm free to do whatever i want for myself.

[glassandsteel]

I'll be there no matter when you guys arrange this.  This is the meeting I've been waiting for the since we started meetings so I wouldn't miss it for the world.  Does anybody in this forum have any prior experience with this sort of process?  It'd obviously be of great assistance but I think that we're collectively capable of creating a plan to execute this.  Yay!  I'm so excited!

[CtownMikey]

I always have weekends off of work, so depending on the time... I could probably go

[Cotuit]

glassandsteel, on Jul 14 2006, 11:08 AM, said:

Does anybody in this forum have any prior experience with this sort of process?

Yes, I'd like to get someone who has some experience help guide us. I'm going to send an email to GrowSmartRI to see what kind of support they can offer.

[Cotuit]

Are people available next Friday afternoon (07/21) to get together hash over some ideas on becoming more organized, bullet point some preliminary things we feel are important in regards to the Comprehensive Plan, and nail down a time/location for a more formal meeting, to take place after the Providence Tomorrow workshop?

[runawayjim]

Cotuit, on Jul 14 2006, 03:13 PM, said:

Are people available next Friday afternoon (07/21) to get together hash over some ideas on becoming more organized, bullet point some preliminary things we feel are important in regards to the Comprehensive Plan, and nail down a time/location for a more formal meeting, to take place after the Providence Tomorrow workshop?

assuming nothing comes up, friday afternoon is good for me.

[jencoleslaw]

i have an appointment with Providence Municipal Court first thing in the am, but i can meet in the afternoon/early eve, whatever it ends up being.

[glassandsteel]

I'll be there!