1. THE TRANSFORMATION OF
DOWNTOWN PROVIDENCE
Daniel Baudouin
For the 2014
NJ Redevelopment Forum
dbaudouin@provfoundation.com

3. Providence, RI:
Population: 178,000
Region: 1.1 million
Downtown workforce (02903 zip): 38,980
Downtown size: 130 acres
●

4. Assets
• Location between Boston
& New York
• Train station
(Amtrak/MBTA)
• Colleges & universities
• Arts
• State capital
• Compact size
• Historic fabric
• Restaurants

5. Pizza (#1)
Hamburgers (#1)
Fine-dining restaurants (#2)
Sweets/desserts (#2)

7. What sparked the
redevelopment process?

8. 6 main projects
• Rail relocation
• River relocation
• Downcity/Westminster
Street transformation
• Providence Downtown
Improvement District
• Downtown Providence
Parks Conservancy
• I-195 relocation

9. Rail Relocation/Capital Center
River Relocation
Downtown Revitalization
Downtown Parks
DOWNTOWN PROVIDENCE
I-195 Relocation

10. RAIL RELOCATION/
CAPITAL CENTER

11. RAIL RELOCATION/ CAPITAL CENTER

13. RIVER RELOCATION

14. RIVER RELOCATION

18. DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION

19. DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION

20. Peerless Building, Westminster Street

21. AS220 Mercantile Block

22. Decor Craft Inc.

23. Wilkinson building

24. The Arcade

25. DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

26. PROVIDENCE DOWNTOWN
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

28. DOWNTOWN PARKS

29. DOWNTOWN PARKS: Kennedy Plaza

32. I-195 RELOCATION

33. I-195 REDEVELOPMENT AREA

37. 20 years of downtown investment:
What has it produced?
• Total space rehabilitated and/or constructed
(including Jewelry District and Capital center):
11 million SF
• Private investment: >$2 billion
• New housing: 1,400 units; 98% occupancy
• Employment: 38,980 (02903 zipcode)
• Retail: 27% vacancy (2003)  13% (2013)
• WaterFire alone produces 1,000,000 visitors &
1,300 jobs

38. Why has Providence been successful?
Fundamental elements
1. Create a vision that is bold, yet rooted in community
assets.
2. Get consensus.
3. Have strong leadership.
4. Have cooperation and buy-in from all levels of
government, private sector, individuals and institutions.
5. Develop good communication among key stakeholders.
6. PERSISTENCE! Have long-term viewpoint and long-
term players.
7. Celebrate successes along the way.
8. Design excellence. Artists and architects add value.
9. CONNECT! Cities are about connection.
adapted from Urban Land Institute’s report by William P. Macht:
Remaking the Urban Waterfront, 2003 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban
Excellence.

39. Success
• Use of federal
transportation funds
• State investments
• Partnership with city
• Transit oriented
development
• Downcity Fund (Main
Street program)
• Organizational
structure

40. Organizational lessons learned
• The Providence
Foundation
– Downcity Fund
• Providence Downtown
Improvement District
• Downtown Providence
Parks Conservancy
Working in partnership with
all levels of government!

41. downtownprovidence.com
www.provfoundation.com