NEW: Rhode Island Scores Top 10 Neighborhood, Says USA Today

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

GoLocalProv Features Team

apacollegehill

"Bringing the past into the present": College Hill

Those who live here love it. Those who don't wish they did. It's lively, historic, and has a view of the water.

What Rhode Island neighborhood just made USA Today's Top 10 Neighborhoods in America list?

College Hill.

The Top 10 Neighborhoods 2011 comes from the American Planning Association, which just released its annual listing that names the winning spots in no ranked order. Neighborhoods were reviewed according to guiding questions that look for "form and composition, character and personality, environment and sustainable practices."

APA defines a Great Neighborhood as one that:

Has a variety of functional attributes that contribute to a resident's day-to-day living (i.e. residential, commercial, or mixed-uses).
Accommodates multi-modal transportation (i.e. pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers).
Has design and architectural features that are visually interesting.
Encourages human contact and social activities.
Promotes community involvement and maintains a secure environment.
Promotes sustainability and responds to climatic demands.
Has a memorable character.

And the winner is: College Hill

"College Hill brings the past into the present," says the APA, in its summary of the ample charms of Providence's historic neighborhood. "Its history reaches back to 1636 as the site of Rhode Island's first permanent Colonial settlement." The planners glow about "cobblestoned Benefit Street, lined with 18th, 19th, and 20th century municipal structures, churches, and gracious homes." College Hill was the only New England location named in this year's list.

Points for two educational institutions--Brown and RISD--contributing to the neighborhood's "vitality and character," and more points for the vigor of residents and organizations, including, says APA, the Providence Preservation Society. The Brown Street Park gets a nod for being a "showcase for sustainability." The Roger Williams National Memorial at College Hill's base "pays tribute to a champion of religious freedom."

College Hill even gets points for being near the Riverwalk downtown... "linking the neighborhood's west side with Waterplace Park in downtown." (Has any College Hill resident ever called the steeps of the hill its "west side"?)

And then there's Thayer Street. "Walking along Thayer Street near Brown University today," says the APA, "one will find an engaging mix of shops, eateries, and a cinema." Clearly the APA hasn't spent a Friday evening on Thayer, but the overall accolades remain well-deserved.

The rest of the Top 10

Providence shares this honor with 9 other American neighborhoods, here in alphabetical order:

Highland Park--Birmingham, AL
Northbrae--Berkeley, CA
Ansley Park--Atlanta, GA
The Pullman Neighborhood--Chicago, IL
Gold Coast & Hamburg Historic District--Davenport, IA
Hattiesburg Historic Neighborhood--Hattiesburg, MS
Dundee-Memorial Park--Omaha, NE
German Village--Columbus, OH
Swan Lake--Tulsa, OK

For the USA Today article, go here. For APA's full report, go here.