PROVIDENCE – Flanked by 10 of the Downtown Improvement District’s “Yellow Shirt” street team, the program’s director today introduced another round of floral plantings intended to beatify downtown Providence.
“There are a number of ways to bring life to downtown, and one of those ways is to bring plants into downtown,” said Director of Public Space Frank Latorre, who was accompanied by Mayor David N. Cicilline and City Councilor John Lombardi.
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DID was started in 2005 as a partnership with the city. Board members initially invested $53,000, followed by a $5,000 investment – matched by the city – in trees for the project. Private donors also funded many of the 94 hanging plants, 30 planters and 5 planting areas that were put in during the first planting phase.
Cicilline said downtown beatification has been one of his priorities and that he hopes the program will spread to other neighborhoods. During the past year, the street team has picked up more than 400,000 pounds of garbage and cleared graffiti from 80 spots around downtown.
“The business community recognizes how important a good design is,” said Robert Gilbane, Board Chair of The Providence Foundation and President of Gilbane Development Company. “This is the type of walkable city that’s going to attract and retain businesses.”
