In 2000, Providence was ranked by CNN as one of the 10 best places to live in the United States. Yet take a stroll downtown any day of the week, and you'll find it utterly deserted. Why? Providence has an amazing art scene, three top universities and world-renowned cuisine, but it lacks a nightlife or bustling downtown. There is a simple explanation for this phenomenon: the lack of public parking.
Parking is an enormous problem downtown and on the East Side. There are Brown staff members who have worked here for over 10 years and still don't have a parking spot, cutting their efficiency and wasting University money. A quick trip into Providence is not an enticing idea for local residents. To go to WaterFire, one has to either pay $10 at the cramped parking lot or search desperately for a spot on Thayer Street. As a Rhode Island resident, I can't count the number of times my peers were deterred from spending their nights in Providence because of the hassle of parking. There is a plethora of excellent eateries at the bottom of the hill, but nowhere to park a car.
Providence would be well served by a free downtown parking garage, as other U.S. cities provide. Increased parking space would boost patronage of downtown businesses and therefore be profitable for the city. By simply lifting the meter fees downtown, Rhode Islanders would be more inclined to visit. Due to its historical layout, Providence has limited space; therefore, the parking area would need to be a multilevel garage. Brown, too, could benefit from installing a parking garage that served both its staff and students.
As a student, it is easy to take Providence's downtown for granted and assume that it has always appeared the way it does now. But Providence is a very different place than it was a few years ago. The mall, for example, is a new addition, completed in 1999. WaterFire first started in 1996. A massive downtown restoration movement, often called "the renaissance of the '90s," headed by the infamous former mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr., transformed Providence into the quiet yet beautiful city we see it as today.
Providence history is inherently linked to the industrial revolution. The colonial town of Providence consisted of Towne Street and Benefit Street, which ran along the river. Yet as the population increased, urban expansion occurred in every direction. Kennedy Plaza is now situated on the site of the former Great Cove, an estuary cove which supplied Wampanoag peoples and colonists with a bountiful food supply. By the late 1800s the entire area had been filled in. The river that hosts WaterFire is the former site of "the world's widest bridge." It wasn't until 1987 that a dismantling project began, opening the Moshasshuck and Woonas-quatucket rivers back up to the air. Benefit Street is another example of recent urban restoration, reviving the area from shambles to a remarkable historical section.
Providence remains a work in progress. Aesthetic improvements have been made, but it is now time to make logistical improvements. By augmenting the public parking both downtown and on campus, local businesses would profit and downtown nightlife would be revitalized. The cost of the project and maintenance would be outweighed by the benefits to commerce. It is a shame to have such a beautiful renaissance for such a small audience.
Laura Martin '06 is local, but not a yokel.
