City Walk was initiated by the Jewelry District Association, The Providence Foundation, and LIRIO Landscape Architecture and is now incorporated as a part of a citywide Urban Train initiative that will:
- strengthen connections between nine Providence neighborhoods, parks, and civic institutions;
- improve safety for people traveling by all modes; and
- celebrate the diversity and culture of Providence neighborhoods through public art, wayfinding signage, and vibrant public places.
With funding from the City’s Capital Improvement Plan and the State Transportation Improvement Program, the City completed improvements along Clifford Street in Downtown and Pine and Friendship streets in South Providence in early 2020. In Fall 2022, the City began construction on improvements along Broad Street (between Roger Williams Park and Elmwood Avenue) that will include milling and repaving the roadway, making crosswalks safer and ADA compliant, installing new planters, and additional safety improvements that will reduce speeding, make bus stops safer and more efficient, and make Broad Street safer and more comfortable for people of all ages and abilities to walk, run, bike, skateboard and use other modes of active transportation.
Since 2017, work on this initiative has been conducted by the City of Providence with support from Toole Design Group, McMahon Associates, Street Plans Collaborative, and Horsley Witten Group. Prior to 2017, the concept of City Walk was initiated by neighborhood groups, community organizations, and L+A Landscape Architecture (LIRIO Landscape Architecture). The idea has since been incorporated into the larger citywide Urban Trail Network. To learn more about the Urban Trail Network please visit the Great Streets Initiative page.
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Calendar of Events
- March 16, 2022: Broad Street Pre-Construction Information Session held virtually. See the recording, presentation, Q&A and plans.
- October 21, 2021: Broad Street Pre-Construction Information Session held virtually. See the recording, presentation, and Q&A.
- November 16, 2020: a virtual public information session to learn more about planned improvements to make Broad Street safer for people walking, biking, driving, and using RIPTA. View the presentation and Q&A.
- September 20, 2019: Phase 1 Construction Information Session presentation
- February 24, 2019: Update presentation to Elmwood Neighborhood Association
- January 24, 2019: Update presentation to South Providence Neighborhood Association
- April 14, 2018: Held at Calvary Baptist Church. Community members learned about the Demonstration Project, showed how they wanted Broad Street to be arranged, and heard updates about design plans for Clifford Street through the 195 land, Friendship Street, and Pine Street. See the meeting presentation in English and Spanish and the Conceptual plans for Phase 1
- November 28, 2017: Held at Southside Cultural Center. Project neighbors learned about the vision for City Walk and opportunities to share their visions for the future of Broad Street, Clifford Street through the 195 land, and Friendship & Pine streets through Upper South Providence. See the meeting presentation in English and Spanish and the Break-out table boards.
Demonstration Project
Friday & Saturday, June 15 & 16, 2018 | Broad Street between Public Street and Potters Ave – A temporary party in the street to see how the community’s ideas for Broad Street work in real life. Check out the video about the demonstration:
Project Documents
See event-specific documents above. Below are general documents:
Contact Us
Alex Ellis, Principal Planner
401-680-8522
Facebook: @ProvPlanning
Twitter: @ProvPlanning
Stay tuned for additional information!
Whenever possible, the City brings the planning process to existing community gathering places. This includes attending standing community meetings, tabling at special events, and canvassing out in the neighborhood. If you are interested in having City staff or our Street Team members conduct outreach at your event, please contact Alex Ellis at 401-680-8522 or .