GrowSmartRI

Two Power of Place Summit breakout sessions will focus on transportation issues:

🚍 “Small State, Big Headaches: Getting Rhode Island’s Transportation System Right” presents a mobility policy blueprint focused on transparency in decision-making, affordability and accessibility, and long-term economic resilience.

Panelists: Dylan Giles and Nicole O'Loughlin, Providence Streets Coalition; and John Flaherty, Green Street Associates.

🚶🚴 “Moving From Policy to Projects: A First Look at Rhode Island’s Complete Streets Toolkit” looks at a new resource to help municipalities and stakeholders move transportation projects from vision to implementation.

Panelists: Bonnie Nickerson and Rosie Jaswal, Toole Design Group; and Meredith Brady, Rhode Island Department of Administration.

Register now for the June 26 Power of Place Summit! Early bird pricing ends Friday, June 12.
https://growsmartri.org/power-of-place-summit-2026/

Rhode Island’s housing crisis requires solutions from multiple angles. Two breakout sessions at our June 26 Power of Place Summit will offer new perspectives:

🏘 In “Back to the Future: How Upzoning Can Help Restore Rhode Island Community Character,” panelists will look at how building codes can be written so that new buildings complement older ones and contribute to, rather than detract from, the distinctive community fabric that we love about so many of our favorite R.I. places.

Panelists: Annette Bourne and James Hardy, HousingWorks RI; Dylan Conley, RI Land Use Law; and Jeanne Boyle, Jeanne Boyle Consulting, LLC.

🏘 In “Designing Communities for Housing Options,” panelists will look at how to create more housing options — ADUs, townhomes, mixed-use, and more — and the role that intentional design plays in creating housing that supports residents across incomes and lifespan.

Panelists: Kristina Brown, Neighbors Welcome RI; Peter Friedrichs, RI Land Use Law; Joel VanderWeele, Union Studio Architecture & Community Design; Charlie Thomas-Davison, Women's Development Corporation; David Sisson, David Sisson Architecture and Blue ADU.

Register now for the Power of Place Summit — early bird pricing ends Friday, June 12:
https://growsmartri.org/power-of-place-summit-2026/

For more than 27 years Scott Wolf has been the heart of Grow Smart RI — a tireless advocate, a trusted voice, and a friend to everyone who cares about building a better Rhode Island.

With mixed emotions we share Scott’s plans to step down as executive director at the end of December 2026.

https://growsmartri.org/announcing-executive-director-transition/

⏰ It's time to sign up!

We've extended the early bird registration rate for our Power of Place Summit through this Friday, 6/12.

The morning's keynote, "Fix the Places, Keep the People," with Galina Tachieva will set the tone for the workshops, panels, and tours that follow, all focusing on creative solutions that advance long-term change for Rhode Island.

In the afternoon you'll hear where 3 of our state's major gubernatorial candidates stand on smart growth issues.

Register now:
https://growsmartri.org/power-of-place-summit-2026/

Our 2026 Outstanding Smart Growth Plan Award goes to the PVD Tree Plan.

Developed by community groups, nonprofit organizations, residents, city departments, researchers, experts, and urban forestry practitioners, the PVD Tree Plan has laid out a vision and strategic pathway to a just and resilient urban forest. Most notably, the initiative has centered the voices of those most impacted by the lack of tree canopy and other environmental injustices.

Efforts include holding neighborhood-level community tree forums for residents to share priorities and concerns, creating networks of paid community ambassadors supporting frontline neighborhoods with their urban forestry knowledge and outreach, and building ongoing community-led governance structures to steer resources and guide the Plan’s implementation.

The cooperative nature of the Plan’s creation set the gears in motion for the deeply collaborative work—across the many practitioners, sectors and communities that intersect with Providence’s urban forest—necessary to achieve the PVD Tree Plan’s ambitious vision: a Providence that is healthier, greener, more resilient, and more just.

We'll present our 2026 Smart Growth Awards on Friday, June 26 during our Power of Place Summit in Providence.

Providence Neighborhood Planting Program
Providence Parks Department Providence Planning & Economic Development

Meet the Millrace District in Woonsocket, RI, winner of our 2026 Outstanding Smart Growth Project Award.

The redevelopment project by NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley transformed two vacant mill buildings into 70 units of affordable housing and integrated commercial and community space in downtown Woonsocket. The project demonstrates how strategic infill development can anchor inclusive growth, strengthen Main Street, and bring new life to historic urban centers.

The $34 million historic rehabilitation created high-quality, ADA-accessible homes at a range of price points, including smaller units that meet the needs of downsizing older adults as well as younger residents entering the housing market. The development is embedded in the broader Millrace District, a vibrant, walkable environment.

Nearby amenities and cultural assets include the Museum of Work and Culture, restaurants, and River Island Art Park, home to free live music. Located on a RIPTA bus route, the project promotes accessible, multimodal transportation.

We'll present our 2026 Smart Growth Awards on Friday, June 26 during our Power of Place Summit in Providence.

Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative

Meet Lilly Dick of Newport, RI, our 2026 Smart Growth Leadership Award winner!

Over decades of service to Aquidneck Island, Lilly has transformed the island's civic, environmental, and cultural landscapes. Lilly’s leadership is distinguished by her track record of translating ideas into enduring outcomes thanks to her vision, persistence, and ability to unite diverse public and private partners.

She contributed meaningfully to local policymaking and civic direction as a former member of the Newport City Council. Prior to elected office she developed and raised the funds for reintroducing Newport’s gas lights to bring street lighting down to a human scale and to cast a light that would bring out the beauty of Newport’s historic architecture and streetscapes.

Beyond elected office, she led the reshaping of some of Newport’s most important public spaces, including Washington Square and Spring Park — projects that not only improved vehicular flow and pedestrian safety and enjoyment, but also helped preserve the city’s historic character while strengthening its future.

Lilly’s influence extends deeply into environmental stewardship. Through her leadership with the Newport Tree Conservancy and Aquidneck Island Land Trust, and advocacy for the Newport Arboretum, she has helped advance urban forestry, biodiversity, and the preservation of Aquidneck Island's natural beauty.

We'll present our 2026 Smart Growth Awards on Friday, June 26 at our Power of Place Summit in Providence.

Our RI Main Street Learning Cohort had a great workshop this past Saturday, hosted by our Wakefield team at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in South Kingstown.

For our session on transformation strategies, Kathy LaPlante, Main Street America's vice president of Main Street programs, presented along with Miriam Parson, director of network capacity building for Main Street America.

We loved having Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor stop by to speak with our inaugural cohort and see a bit of Main Street training in action.

One more session to go — it's a been a great year!

📆 Reminder: The next meeting of the Rhody Streets Network is Thursday, June 4, 5:30-7 pm at 30 Exchange Terrace, 1st floor, Providence.

Join our quarterly gathering to learn from others across R.I. who are improving their communities for walking, biking, and transit.

🚶 🚉 🚲

Healthy meal and beverages provided; $25 stipend for HEZ resident volunteers.

Reserve your seat here: https://growsmartri.org/rhody-streets-network/

We are thrilled to welcome Galina Tachieva to the Ocean State on June 26 to deliver the keynote address at our Power of Place Summit.

As managing partner of DPZ CoDesign, a renowned architecture and town-planning firm, Tachieva has 30 years of experience in urban design, redevelopment, and form-based codes. She directs DPZ’s work in the United States and across the globe.

Tachieva is the author of Sprawl Repair Manual, an award-winning publication from Island Press that focuses on the retrofit of auto-centric places into human-scale, walkable communities. As part of her Power of Place keynote address, she will point to examples of sprawl in Rhode Island and offer suggestions for how to transform those spaces.

“I believe that, while America needs walkable development now more than ever, the expanse of sprawl represents a vast investment that cannot be abandoned or demolished,” she says. “My approach incrementally retrofits auto-centric suburban places into complete, vibrant communities through focused interventions.”

Register now for the Power of Place Summit for early bird pricing!
https://growsmartri.org/power-of-place-summit-2026/