Rhode Island’s growth will be determined by its urban centers.
Working with that premise two nonprofit groups are teaming up to assess the strengths of Rhode Island’s cities and towns, develop recommendations and round up allies for a united urban agenda.
The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) and The Rhode Island Foundation are calling their shared mission Cities Count! – a name inspired by the respected Kids Count! report, an annual analysis of the condition of children in Rhode Island.
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“With a concerted, systematic approach to improve and sustain equitable development in our cities, we will expand their competitiveness, stabilize neighborhoods and increase economic opportunities and jobs,” said Norman E. “Sandy” McCulloch, chairman of the board for The Rhode Island Foundation.
Cities Count! has hired a director, Verouschka M. Capellán, and $300,0000 has been dedicated to the first year of what will be at least a three-year project.
As part of Cities Count!, a series of findings detailing the issues that are impacting growth in urban centers will be released periodically. Cities Count! organizers plan to release its first report prior to the November election, hoping to make urban growth a top priority for the candidates.
“Our immediate goal is to translate the statistics and findings into a set of questions and political options for the gubernatorial race in the fall, and into action steps for the next administration,” said RIPEC executive director Gary Sasse.
The Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University will survey residents of the 10 cities and towns to gather opinions from residents, business owners and other stakeholders in the communities.
Ronald V. Gallo, president and CEO of The Rhode Island Foundation, said eventually Cities Count! will carry the same weight as Kids Count!
Capellán, the former executive director at Southside/Broad Street, an urban “Main Street” program in Providence, is excited about the project because she sees it as creating long-term solutions.
“This is not going to be a Band-Aid approach to economic vitality,” she said.
