Every decade, Providence updates its Comprehensive Plan (or “Comp Plan”), which is a framework document that guides growth and development in the City over the next 20 years. 

The Plan outlines goals and strategies in a range of topic areas, such as housing, transportation, land use, outdoor recreation, and economic development. It informs all other planning efforts of the City of Providence. The Plan is updated with input from a robust community engagement process, and is ultimately approved by the Providence City Plan Commission, Providence City Council, and the Rhode Island Division of Planning.

What is the Comprehensive Plan?
As outlined above, the “Comp Plan” is a guiding document for policy and decision making that sets the stage for the City’s growth and development… over the next 20 years. Crafted through a robust community engagement process, it is a framework that informs all other long-term planning efforts and policies by City Departments, such as the Great Streets Master Plan, the Anti-Displacement and Comprehensive Housing Strategy, the Climate Justice Plan, and more.

Importantly, the Comp Plan informs the future land use and zoning code of the city, which determines what can be built where in our neighborhoods.

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How does the Comprehensive Plan affect my life?
The Comp Plan identifies a shared vision and sets goals and recommendations in a number of topic areas to achieve that vision. Topics addressed in… the Comp Plan include: Land Use, Transportation & Mobility, Housing, Natural Resources & Conservation, Historic & Cultural Resources, Services & Facilities, Economic Development, and more!

Collectively, the goals and recommendations in each of these areas influence the look, feel, and experience of the urban environment – from a walk along a river-side path on the site of a new urban greenhouse, to living in a multi-unit affordable housing development on a high quality bus corridor.

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How can I help craft the framework for Providence’s future?
The Department of Planning & Development is leading a multi-phased engagement process that will facilitate community input into… the Comprehensive Plan update. The engagement phases will move from (1) building awareness of the Comprehensive Plan, identifying key issues, and establishing a shared understanding of how Providence is changing; to (2) establishing a shared vision for development and collaborating to explore strategies to guide change; to (3) finally drafting goals, objectives and strategies and gathering feedback on the draft plan.

Each of the phases of engagement will include a number of engagement activities, including tabling at neighborhood events, online and hard-copy surveys, and presentations at community meetings, as well as more innovative activities, like neighborhood walks and roll-abouts, on-street interviews, interactive workshops, and issues-focused forums.

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How is Providence Changing?
Over the last decade, Providence has changed in a number of ways. From 2010 to 2020, Providence grew to a population of 190,934 (+7.3%), and became… more diverse, with 38% of the population now white (not Hispanic or Latino) and 62% non-white (43.5% Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx, 16% Black or African American alone). Ages 20 to 24 continues to be the largest age cohort. Incomes have increased 1.2% (inflation adjusted) since 2009, and the poverty rate remains unchanged at 26%. Median rents and home values have increased significantly with 48% of renters and 39% of homeowners “cost-burdened” (spending more than 1/3 of their income on housing) in 2020. Development activity is increasing across Providence, and climate risks (heat, flooding) are increasingly likely.

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Learn more about Providence’s neighborhoods!
Check out the Neighborhood Snapshots webpage to find the latest demographic, economic, health and other data about your neighborhood and how it compares to others in Providence!

What are some opportunity areas that an updated Comprehensive Plan could address?
Updating the Comprehensive Plan is an opportunity to ensure that Providence’s future… development meets the changing needs of our community.

In the updated Plan, some policy areas that might merit extra attention or changes include: Providence’s resilience to the impacts of climate change (heat, flooding, sea-level rise); increased attention to housing affordability, production, and quality; and reevaluating where in the City development should be encouraged or discouraged.

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