[Summit] Green space and cities Jan 18

[Greg Gerritt]

Dear Friends of Citywide Green,

 

    Charleston, SC, Mayor Joe Riley is an incisive, nationally-known
champion of urban public space, as indicated by the quotes below. FIPP is
pleased to co-sponsor his speech at the Providence Preservation Society's
annual meeting this Thursday.

 

    THE PUBLIC IS INVITED, free of charge. PLEASE COME!

    

WHEN: THIS THURSDAY, Jan. 18, 6PM

 

WHERE: Gloria Del Lutheran Church, 15 Hayes St, directly opposite the north

                    (Stateside) entrance to the Providence Mall parking
garage.

 

WHY: Mayor Riley's insights, sampled below & attached, are particularly
relevant as   

          the city undertakes its revision of the Comprehensive Plan this
spring.

 

PARKING:  At the Mall: $1 for 3 hours.

 

PROGRAM: PPS will present its annual awards beginning at 6, followed by
Mayor 

                          Riley's speech, a question and answer period, and
a coffee and dessert

                          reception.

  

Hope to see you there! David

 

David Riley 
Co-Chair, Friends of India Point Park www.friendsofindiapointpark.org
<http://www.friendsofindiapointpark.org/>
87 John St. Providence, RI 02906
401 521-7929 (ph & fax)

"Great cities around the world have the guts to give their finest parts to
the public realm." -- Charleston, SC, Mayor Joe Riley

"Openness is the one thing you cannot get in buildings." -- Frederick Law
Olmsted

" When the community's vision is driving a project, money follows." --
Project for Public Spaces

INDIA POINT PARK draws a diverse population from Providence and the capital
region. The Parks Dept.'s 2004 report estimated that 112,000 people use the
Park annually, a number it expects to "easily double" after the relocation
of I-195. The Recreation Dept. estimates that Mexican Soccer League games in
the Park draw 1,000 people every weekend from spring through fall.


 
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley on Urban Design
 
 
Importance of the public realm
Great cities around the world have the guts to give the finest parts of
their city to the public realm.
     -- Governing Magazine, 11/03
 
Any city that is near water, the degree to which you can give people access
to it, an inspirational access, beautiful access, is, in part, the degree by
which you measure a great city.
     -- AIA Conf. on City Design, Tulsa, 1/96
   
We need to remember what we keep fighting for. It is the buildings, the tax
base, and the jobs, to be sure, but the public realm is what every culture
needsŠ.a democratic place where the richest, the poorest, people of all
backgrounds and colors can come and renew their citizenshipŠ.that¹s what is
really important.  
 
Don¹t be afraid to create a great public realm; the private development will
soon follow. 
     -- National Preservation Conf., 6/04
 
Public places that allow citizens to come together and celebrate their
freedom are even more important in the days since September 11. We need less
separation in the private realm and more opportunities to come together as
citizens and celebrate our freedom.
     -- Mayor¹s Inst. for Urban Design, 6/02
                   
Importance of beauty, civic memory, details
[On Charleston¹s Waterfront Park:] Its raison d¹etre was ³a thing of beauty
is a joy forever.² In bustling cities, people need places of peace and
repose and inspiration.
              
Our culture desperately wants beauty. We¹ve got enough hardness, plastic,
and thinness in our cultureŠ.Our towns and cities must be places where every
citizen¹s heart can sing.
                                                                       --
National Preservation Conf., 6/04
    
Cities need memories. Buildings are memories. We all need memoriesŠ.But when
a bulldozer lazily bulldozes down ­ and at times they¹ve got to go, but when
you lazily do it ­ you rob the memories of the neighborhood or the community
and it may take generations to rebuild something like that.
 
Details are so important. We wanted a gravel path on the water¹s edgesŠ.They
showed us some gravel. It just looked ordinaryŠ.We did 50 samplesŠ.we got
the right consistency for wheel chairs, high heels, the right color. It¹s a
tiny little detail but it¹s so important. It¹s the prettiest gravel path in
America. We¹ll give you the recipe for free.
     -- AIA Conf. on City Design, Tulsa, 1/96
 
The greatest cities are those with the most beautiful public spaces.
     -- Keystone Award, Am. Architectural
        Foundation, Wash, DC, 3/02
 
                                        Compiled from the internet by
Friends of India Point Park, 1/07
                   
www.friendsofindiapointpark.org <http://www.friendsofindiapointpark.org/>


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