PPS Fall Symposium: 195 + Downtown
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
On September 15, 16, and 17, the PPS will conduct a symposium exploring the development of Capital Center and imagining possible futures for the recently vacated and highly-prized land abutting the Jewelry District. Capital Center, the architectural emblem of the Providence Renaissance, is one model of comprehensive urban planning. But as businesses and educational institutions look to build on the land once occupied by I-195, and state and city government try to facilitate and regulate this process, what elements of the Capital Center plan can be replicated, and which should be reconsidered? Make No Little Plans: A Symposium on Visions for the City of Providence will address the legacy of Capital Center and apply lessons learned from its development to this transformative moment for the Jewelry District.
Planning that is deliberate and bold
"When we plan for new parts of the city, it's our obligation to be as good - as elegant, as scaled, as livable - as the city we inherited," said PPS Executive Director James Hall. "Creating, or curating, great cities requires planning that is at once deliberate and bold."
To that end, PPS has assembled a range of presenters, inviting panelists and speakers from architectural firms and development companies that contributed to the making of Capital Center; educational institutions planning to expand into the Jewelry District; and city agencies involved in guiding development projects then and now. To enrich the conversation, major players in the development of Capital Center and the Jewelry District, as well as noted local historians, have been enlisted to conduct tours of significant relevant projects.
Green and unexpected cities
"The preservation movement today must not only have a memory; it must have imagination. Preservationists should lead prudent, sensitive planning to engender diverse, active, 'green,' and unexpected cities," said Hall.
The Symposium will begin on Thursday, September 15 with a special film screening of “Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City” at the RISD Museum at 20 North Main St, Providence. This is free and open to the public. The program will continue on Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17 with a look back at Capital Center, and forward to the Jewelry District redevelopment.
For the full program schedule, check here.
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