Amateurs will displace professionals as the competition to change the appearance of downtown Providence moves to its next phase.
Mayor David N. Cicilline announced Wednesday that two finalists have been chosen in the competition to design a park in an 8-acre portion of the land being freed up by the relocation of Interstate 195 on both sides of the Providence River.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
The mayor and the 11-member Waterfront Design Competition Committee are soliciting comment from the public until Oct. 15, and will weigh it in choosing the.
According to Providence Superintendent of Parks Alix Ogden, the city received 16 submissions in the competition, which was announced in April.
The competition committee narrowed the selections down to the two finalists, and the designs will be on display online at www.providenceri.com and at the Roger Williams Park Casino through 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25.
Comments can be registered online or through comment forms available at the Roger Williams Park Casino and the Office of Neighborhood Services at Providence City Hall.
The winner of the competition will be announced Oct. 30.
Both plans – whose authors’ names are masked from the public, and even the from design commission – incorporated the city’s requests for gathering spaces, smaller performance venues, equipment storage areas and places for children to play.
The first design aims to celebrate the river, linking both sides of the park. Submitted by Team 9, the plan includes an amphitheater with seating for fewer than 300 and a seasonal café along the Riverwalk. On the east side of the park would be the “Fish Playground,” with children’s play structures such as wave slides.
The second design, submitted by Team 4, and dubbed “Urbanscape,” looks to make use of kiosks (with tourist information and historical exhibits), floating islands (to help draw people to the water) and built inclines, for events and recreation.
Both designs include elements that would go beyond the $4.5 million earmarked by the R.I. Department of Transportation for the new park’s construction. For example, both propose a pedestrian bridge across the river, something not in the current budget.
Cicilline last week praised both teams of designers – as well as the committee, for selecting two plans that could easily enhance Providence’s use of public space. “With these two beautiful designs, either one will create a great public space that will be enjoyed for many, many generations to come.”
Jill Jaffe, who chairs the design selection committee, said the committee would like the public to comment on what they would like to see in the park, rather than just choosing one design.
Although the committee was the ultimate judge, the mayor also thanked consultant Tracy Steel. An expert in arts and culture administration, she has consulted on design selection and community engagement processes across the country, most notably in San Diego and Boston.
Steel currently is serving as project manager for the Boston Art Commission and Redevelopment Agency, for a project incorporating art into street development.
