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Providence Tomorrow

Cotuit

By Cotuit
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coleslaw Unincorporated Area

coleslaw

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OK is it just me??? Given all of the kick-offs and meetings that the City has had over the past 3 years about neighborhood plans and zoning that ended up going nowhere, do we really think that this is actually going to happen?

I have been to too many meetings and workshops that either evaporated or resulted in a product that people felt did not adequately reflect their hopes for a better City.

I hate to sound jaded, but I'm tired of watching hundreds of volunteer hours spent for naught.

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JimmyGreaves Hamlet

JimmyGreaves

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OK is it just me??? Given all of the kick-offs and meetings that the City has had over the past 3 years about neighborhood plans and zoning that ended up going nowhere, do we really think that this is actually going to happen?

I have been to too many meetings and workshops that either evaporated or resulted in a product that people felt did not adequately reflect their hopes for a better City.

I hate to sound jaded, but I'm tired of watching hundreds of volunteer hours spent for naught.

The short answer is, we don't have a choice. One could argue that the fact that the changes to the zoning regulations were put on hold means that the public input is having an effect on the administration. From what I read in the public record and talking to neighborhood group people, the constant pressure to revise the comp plan first before the zoning revisions came from sustained public pressure.

However, we need even more people involved to really make this successful. How many people do each of us know? How many neighborhood association volunteers do we know? We need to get as many people invovled as possible and show them an alternative to the development status quo. Talk to them. Emphasize the importance of smart urban planning. We're all in favor of increases in affordable housing, more jobs, better access to transportation, better neighborhood services, and a more sustainable tax base that good urban planning provides. It's up to us to keep talking about it and organize ourselves so that views supporting good urban development are heard. Otherwise, Providence Tomorrow will be for naught.

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Recchia Town

Recchia

Posted
Posted (edited)

Sorry, I've used "coleslaw" for my handle in other web forums for years. I can change it if you're feeling uncomfortable, Jen.

I always thought you were Jen's husband or something lol.

I should be able to make this Friday, but I can't the 26th, night meeting (of course).

Edited by Recchia
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DaveRPI Whistle-Stop

DaveRPI

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good idea in principle i guess. ive been to many charettes, many of them back in college, but i always had a few reservations about them

for planning purposes they seem great because issues are brought up and communicated to the locals, people feel like have an ownership in the future of their community, planning becomes easier in a sense because lots of little or unknown facts and local histories can be brought up in the planning process and problems can be forseen in some cases, and opposition can be seen on small scales so as to plan ahead because of its inevitability

on the other hand, things can sometimes become too specific and that does take a lot of creativity and artistic ability away from the architect and/or designers

specifics can also hold back planners and also hold back the greater good of the larger area of which a community is a part of

that said, its always fun to talk "what if's"

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mental757 Burg

mental757

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Posted (edited)

I am somewhat torn on whether I should attend - I don't live in Providence and in fact love my suburban locale, but I'm such a big backer of mass-transit and Providence (along with my beloved airport in Warwick) is the impetus of an improved State-wide (more efficient) system. Don't get me wrong - I'd love to buy in 110 or in the city in general, but our young family isn't into city living (well the 3 other people in my family aren't).

I also want lots of tall buildings in Providence - hardly an unbiased 'vision of the future'

Edited by mental757
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Recchia Town

Recchia

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Great, so of course I'm going to miss the meeting with free food. :angry:

I'd say anyone from the Providence metro in effect could voice an opinion, as long as its not a NIMBY suburban opinion without any backing... Planning needs regionalism anyway.

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Recchia Town

Recchia

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you know what would be an awesome addition to my dessert line for the Happy Endings Dessert Spa? Ice cream (or gelato!) filled donuts.

hmm I don't know... I like warm donuts and that wouldn't go too well with ice cream. Of course I'd still eat them though.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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Secondary question is how to we gradually advance height here in the city without shocking people?

Green, GREEN GREEN GREEN.

I just watched Tom Brokaw's special on Discovery on global warming, and I'm all about green building being the key issue in Providence Tomorrow. Make all these East Side NIMBYs put their money where their mouths are so to speak. I want to see green buildings, but also the density of the city itself encourages a healthy environment. Want to do something for the environment? Allow for increased density, and more retail options in walkable areas (and opened after 5pm when working people can actually take advantage of it). Putting a smart ass bumper sticker on your Prius doesn't cut it anymore. These people who want open space and trees, great. Let's have open space and trees in the country and build more houses/apartments/condos in the city, so we can stop cutting down trees in Coventry for more people to live. Allow some height in the city and maybe we can set aside some more space intown for parks and green space. If the whole state consists of one story buildings, kiss your trees goodbye, they'll all be under water.

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Garris Town

Garris

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Green, GREEN GREEN GREEN.

I'm all about green building being the key issue in Providence Tomorrow. Make all these East Side NIMBYs put their money where their mouths are so to speak... Want to do something for the environment? Allow for increased density, and more retail options in walkable areas (and opened after 5pm when working people can actually take advantage of it). Putting a smart ass bumper sticker on your Prius doesn't cut it anymore.... Let's have open space and trees in the country and build more houses/apartments/condos in the city, so we can stop cutting down trees in Coventry...

Good luck. I've tried using that argument here on the East Side and just get this back at me :huh: . People don't see the environment beyond the green they can see from their living room windows and feel more density equals more people and more parking...

If you've got another way to spin the argument, please let me know, because the blunt approach doesn't seem to work...

- Garris

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Lone Ranger Burg

Lone Ranger

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Great, so of course I'm going to miss the meeting with free food. :angry:

I'd say anyone from the Providence metro in effect could voice an opinion, as long as its not a NIMBY suburban opinion without any backing... Planning needs regionalism anyway.

I guess that makes me a YIMBY suburban opinion? :D

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JimmyGreaves Hamlet

JimmyGreaves

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Good luck. I've tried using that argument here on the East Side and just get this back at me :huh: . People don't see the environment beyond the green they can see from their living room windows and feel more density equals more people and more parking...

If you've got another way to spin the argument, please let me know, because the blunt approach doesn't seem to work...

- Garris

I think we have to accept that some will not be convinced of the benefits of dense urban development. The opportunities lie in the thousands of people who simply haven't reached out to. Again, these could be our friends, co-workers, small business owners, food servers, etc. This is something we can talk about in our meeting on Friday, but I feel there are a lot of Rhode Islanders out there who would support our position if we first state the issues that we stand for that would be improved with sustainable dense urban development: affordable housing, open space preservation, jobs, improved neighborhood services, transportation, and taxes. This might involve simply talking to people we might be standing in line with or who are serving our food. Residents need to see hope for the future, and if they feel involved in smart urban planning through Providence Tomorrow, they will.

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