David Salvatore |
Executive director, The Providence Foundation
1. What are your goals as executive director of The Providence Foundation, and why are you focusing on these areas? By effectively communicating The Providence Foundation’s mission to create a strong, vibrant and prosperous downtown and advancing bold and visionary initiatives, we will continue playing a leadership role in shaping investment and growth in downtown Providence. To meet this goal, our focus areas include ensuring smart programs to help developers answer the housing crisis and creating a bus hub location that makes sense for the city and the riders.
2. How does your background with the Rhode Island Association of Realtors and Providence City Council inform your work with the foundation? With my decades of experience in the public and private sectors, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the complex fiscal and economic challenges and opportunities facing Providence. From working with city leaders to close a $110 million structural city deficit, to successfully advocating for more housing opportunities, I am uniquely prepared to lead The Providence Foundation.
3. A lack of affordable housing and an increase in office vacancies have been highlighted as factors influencing the city’s quality of life and economic profile. How would you characterize this, and how should officials respond? Like many cities across the nation, Providence is experiencing housing shortages at all income levels. Unfortunately, Rhode Island lags the rest of the nation in new housing starts, which ultimately impacts housing choice, shelter and job growth. … We must ensure smart development-focused programs to make the critical investments in much-needed housing inventory easier.
4. How does climate change influence the foundation’s work? We are well-positioned to work with city and state leaders on reimagining a Kennedy Plaza that offers green space and recreational opportunities and creating a bus hub in a location that meets the needs of a modern 21st-century transportation system.
5. What other issues stand out to you as major challenges or opportunities facing Providence, and how have these issues evolved in recent years? Inflation and COVID-19 have amplified the evolution of online commerce, while influencing downtowns across America. Targeted investments that draw consumers to experience our city’s growth strategy ... will require public-private partnerships.
