Providence developments

I'd certainly hope that Providence puts a strong emphasis on design, given that RISD is a major part of the city's identity and economy.
 
First, ped bridges are great ideas for cities. You really can't go wrong with them. Period.

However, they can always be improved, and some are better than others.

Second, here comes the criticism: I don't like the design as much as the other ones, and I am surprised somewhat that this was the most expensive...how come? Is that an indoor area I see on the bottom level? And what about flooding? The bottom deck looks like its almost water level.

I do agree that an emphasis on design over functionality is important, and should be commended, but here I think the design is too abstract for my tastes. Good project and idea nonetheless, though.
 
Patrick said:
First, ped bridges are great ideas for cities. You really can't go wrong with them. Period.

However, they can always be improved, and some are better than others.

Second, here comes the criticism: I don't like the design as much as the other ones, and I am surprised somewhat that this was the most expensive...how come? Is that an indoor area I see on the bottom level? And what about flooding? The bottom deck looks like its almost water level.

I do agree that an emphasis on design over functionality is important, and should be commended, but here I think the design is too abstract for my tastes. Good project and idea nonetheless, though.
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It's an indoor/outdoor cafe with a small prep area. They've got some great renderings of it if you view the full entry. Finished buildings never look like renderings, though...
 
Yeah, that was by far my favorite design. Some annoying trends in ped bridges are over reliance on cables and "wavy" designs. There were too many of those in the design contest pool. This one best combines design and function while remaining fairly unique (it will blend with the riverwalk and basin well). The cafe underneath is cool, but I'm not confident that it's the best use for that space.

I guess it's just a matter of preference.
 
Just to reiterate and perhaps clarify, I think any ped bridge is a good idea. And this one certainly isn't bad, but I tend to like the cable-stayed and wavy bridges you alluded to as overrepresented. Maybe they are overrepresented elsewhere, but from my Maine perspective, something more like those concepts would be cool. This bridge design is neat, but leaves something to be desired from a design perspective (in terms of my preference). Riverwalks and ped bridges will really do a lot to improve the place. In new england, one of the primary "exports" of cities in their economic base is a sense of place and experience. Capitalizing on the waterfront will increase this. I guess I am just stating (or re-stating) the obvious here, but I thought it was a concept that is often overlooked in smaller cities in this region.
 
The cafe part reminds me a little of this bridge in Copenhagen.

 
Patrick said:
Just to reiterate and perhaps clarify, I think any ped bridge is a good idea. And this one certainly isn't bad, but I tend to like the cable-stayed and wavy bridges you alluded to as overrepresented. Maybe they are overrepresented elsewhere, but from my Maine perspective, something more like those concepts would be cool. This bridge design is neat, but leaves something to be desired from a design perspective (in terms of my preference). Riverwalks and ped bridges will really do a lot to improve the place. In new england, one of the primary "exports" of cities in their economic base is a sense of place and experience. Capitalizing on the waterfront will increase this. I guess I am just stating (or re-stating) the obvious here, but I thought it was a concept that is often overlooked in smaller cities in this region.
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Oh I hear you, I'm not trying do disagree. My perspective on the cable stayed and wavy ped bridges is just that I've seen them everywhere. There are so many out there that it just seems like new renderings are sort of copies of existing bridges in some other city. I agree about New England cities giving a sense of place which is why I feel that cable-stayed pedestrian bridges that look similar to ones in other cities often dilute the sense of place rather than add to it. The jewelery district, adjacent to downtown Providence, is an old warehouse district that's in a bit of a renewal process (most construction is on the other side of downtown). It can really benefit from anything that gives it that sense of place you're referring to (and no, I don't believe that only design #10 would have done that).

I think what makes me like this one even more is the lack of a spire at all (a common feature in cable bridges). This bridge will be located right in between downtown and the new I-195. The view you get is of the city skyline and I feel a small cable stayed- pedestrian bridge would sort of detract from the skyline view. If it were a larger span, it could add to it (i.e. Boston's Zakim Bridge), but not so much in this case. It would sort of be dwarfed by the nearby buildings. The design is a bit more subtle, but some of the more unique elements are illustrated better in some of the other renderings. I think that some of the cable bridges out there are great, but this one is a better fit for this location. I think this will give a better sense of place than any cable bridge could. But I'm just basing that on a rendering so I could absolutely be wrong.

Anyway, I'm just glad to see a positive investment here. There's no denying that this bridge will serve a great function (and also replace an old, elevated highway structure) very well (as most of the designs would have done).
 
last time I was in providence for an extended time was 2007...at that time there was a half bridge for the interstate just sort of hanging there. was that the new one being built, or the old one coming down? and is that the area where this bridge is? It sounds like this bridge is best understood in context, which perhaps isn't possible for someone unfamiliar with the view corridors available from its soon-to-be deck (like myself). The jewelry district...is that the rougher part of town by the port area?
 
In 2007 you probably saw the new one being built. The new bridge is next to the Hurricane Barrier.
 
Patrick said:
last time I was in providence for an extended time was 2007...at that time there was a half bridge for the interstate just sort of hanging there. was that the new one being built, or the old one coming down? and is that the area where this bridge is? It sounds like this bridge is best understood in context, which perhaps isn't possible for someone unfamiliar with the view corridors available from its soon-to-be deck (like myself). The jewelry district...is that the rougher part of town by the port area?
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That was the new bridge being put in. The old overpass (really not much of a bridge) is closer to downtown and if you drove over it, you would be exactly where the new pedestrian bridge will be. In google maps, you can see where I-195 currently runs and where the old overpass is. That is exactly the spot (where the old overpass is) of the pedestrian bridge once they demolish the highway.

The Jewelery District is between that port area (which is nasty even for a working waterfront) and downtown. Its rundown appearance is sort of related to the fact that it has been torn apart by urban renewal and much of it was separated from downtown by 1-195 which of course will no longer be the case. It's funny because it's such a small district, but it really has some corners and blocks that are in good shape as they've been renovated and gentrified, but much of it is still dotted with parking lots, vacant lots and sparsely used buildings. It certainly hasn't seen the growth that the rest of downtown has (particularly by the train station and capital building area) over the past 2 decades. There are some great buildings and a lot of potential over there (high density aside from the gaps) that will see the benefit of the highway being moved. It's so close to downtown that it's seen some redevelopment anyway, but its in rough shape now. Brown, JWU and RISD are already planning on using some of the space there after the old highway is demolished which will be good (combined with other development). But yes, in a nutshell, it's in rough shape in its current state.
 
Has highway demolition started yet? I was still able to bike onto the old highway two months ago.
 
^didn't see this, so sorry for the delayed reply. Much of the old highway is still standing (as of Sunday), but some segments are gone. I want to take some photos from up there (unique perspective and all) before they're all gone.
 
I can't believe they let people on the old bridge. It seems like it would be a potential liability in terms of a lawsuit for the state if someone were to get injured walking or biking on it. What's its current state?
 
The elevated Central Artery in Boston was also easily accessible to pedestrians and cyclists between the time it closed and when demolition started.
 
Patrick said:
I can't believe they let people on the old bridge. It seems like it would be a potential liability in terms of a lawsuit for the state if someone were to get injured walking or biking on it. What's its current state?
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It's just an elevated highway. Without cars it's not dangerous. No more dangerous (safer than, really) walking on a municipal sidewalk.

There are elevated sections remaining, but now there are gaps where pieces have been removed. I don't know if it's open to the public anymore. With the gaps and risk of falling, I think liability issues might come into play.
 
My girlfriend and I took a train down to Providence for the day Saturday. Despite the wind, it was a really enjoyable trip. We visited College Hill, Fox Point and the downtown, all of which were really enjoyable. The bus system seemed to work very well, though the lack of a system-wide map for the city was a little discouraging (we just stuck to the #92 anyway). All of the neighborhoods were really enjoyable and lively, and the activity and human scale of the downtown was like a nicer version of downtown Boston. Overall (and this is based just from a short visit), the city felt some combination of Boston, Portsmouth and both Portlands. I really enjoyed it, and capping the trip off with a delicious IPA at Trinity was an added bonus. Providence deserves more praise for its progress and livability than I've heard at least.
 
Thanks, Ron. I saw that, but there seems to be a weird disconnect between the state map and the downtown map unless I'm missing something. The downtown map includes several bus lines that do not appear on the statewide map, but which run off the downtown map. I think a midlevel map would be an excellent idea. Really, though, RIPTA worked quite well for us and the bus drivers were very helpful.
 
Yep, I looked for your #92 on the system map, didn't find it, and was pretty confused.
 
There is no Providence pic thread so...

Today at noon. Not a soul in sight:

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PF Changs is going in that boarded up part of the streetwall. Directly above PF Changs is offices up for rent (entrance next door). The mall was bustling all day and the street scene picked up a little as the day went on.
 
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