Rhode Island
Making the Case for Downtowns: Tax Revenue
Joe Minicozzi of Urban3 recently got national media attention from Forbes. The article describes Minicozzi as a kind of evangelist, making a strong, rational case for cities of all sizes to invest in their downtowns instead of big box retail.
Wisconsin Struggles with Interstate Tolling Option
State transportation leaders are scrambling to increase funding as MAP-21 draws to its expiration on Oct. 1. Interstate tolling is being eyed by more than a few. While the Wisconsin Assembly likes the idea, Gov. Scott Walker rejects it.
Providence Proposes Comprehensive Zoning Code Update
The city of Providence has announced the first draft of a comprehensive zoning code update—its first since 1994.
A McDonald’s Case Study for Land Use Policies in Providence
James Kennedy examines a proposed development of a McDonald’s and a Family Dollar store in Providence, Rhode Island, for lessons about the city’s land use policies.
Developers Bet that Micro Apartments Will Work in Smaller Cities
The relatively low cost of micro apartments in high rent cities such as N.Y. and San Francisco makes them a feasible alternative for singles, but will they attract millennials in smaller, lower-rent cities like Providence, Cleveland and Worcester?
Public Art on the Cheap: Providence's Custom Metal Trashcans
In Providence, Rhode Island, local craftsmen are turning trashcans into art. The metal bins are custom-worked with designs celebrating local businesses and more general themes.
What Is a Place Without the People?
In an illustrated essay, Chuck Wolfe contrasts the ideal form of the New England town with an abandoned French village, calling out the human infrastructure essential to successful urban places.
Providence Plans Pedestrian Oasis for Downtown
Utilizing a series of compelling before and after renderings, Amanda Gruen walks through Union Studio Architects' plan to improve the pedestrian and transit experience in downtown Providence's Kennedy Plaza.
Smart States Support Their Economies with Preservation Incentives
As central cities become prized by young professionals and the companies that want to lure them, it behooves states to recognize the value of the historic buildings that bring unique character to workplaces and urban environs, writes Kaid Benfield.
Municipal Bankruptcy Seen as a Strategy, Rather Than a Failure
Looking to get out from under one of the primary factors for financial distress - pension obligations - city leaders across the United States are viewing bankruptcy as "a valuable tool in a city’s financial toolbox," reports Liz Farmer.
America's Oldest Mall Gets a Mixed-Use Makeover
The Providence Arcade, thought to be America's oldest enclosed shopping mall, suffered the same fate as many of its 20th century brethren when it was shuttered in 2008. A developer seeks to revive the building as a mixed-use "micro-loft" complex.
Opening the Atlantic Coast for Offshore Wind Farms
The U.S. Department of the Interior has cleared the way for what could become the first offshore wind projects in the country. Next year, lease sales will be offered on 278,00 acres of land off the coasts of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia.
Mysterious, Unauthorized Stop Signs Found
The town of Cranston, Rhode Island came to the realization that hundreds of stop signs -- almost a third of the stop signs in town -- were not installed by the city. Are these the work of a rogue urban planner?
Redeveloping Industrial Land as Industrial Land
In Providence, Rhode Island, a team of young developers are breathing new life into an old factory complex. But it's not your typical condo conversion.
More Than Just Air at the Airport
Airports are becoming more than airports, with an increasing number expanding their services to being multimodal transit hubs.
Free Holiday Parking Fails in Providence
Instead of encouraging shopping, as the city had hoped, free downtown parking has been occupied by downtown workers.
Under the Bridge: A New Park Surprises in Providence
The park under a new bridge in Providence succeeds in creating an interesting space in the city, and shows that concrete doesn't have to be dull.
Providence's New 'Brand' Not Needed
Providence, Rhode Island, is rebranding itself as the "Creative Capital." This op-ed argues the city doesn't need a brand, rather it needs to return to the aesthetic values that made it beautiful and successful in the '90s.
Census Reveals Recession’s Effect On Migration
The U.S. Census Bureau released its report for the year ending July 1, 2008. It showed that the effect of the recession was to reduce domestic migration from the Northeast and Midwest to the West and Sunbelt. Utah was the fastest growing state.
$300 Million Mixed-Use Coming to Providence
A $300 million mixed-use development is bringing new life to a long-neglected industrial district of Providence, RI.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
