The Livable Providence 2000 Urban Environmental Conference was convened to contribute to the creation of the first urban environmental plan for the city of Providence. The goal, as stated by Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr., is to "ensure that all Providence neighborhoods are safe, healthy and pleasant places to live."

Approximately 90 individuals attended the conference held at the Community College of Rhode Island's Providence campus. A vast majority of those participants introduced themselves as members of existing community-based organizations or as employees of a city, state or federal agency. Participants expressed awareness of a range of ongoing activities that attempt to address each of the conference issues. In general, participants thought that more action is required in order to successfully ensure a healthy environment for Providence residents. At no time did any participant express a belief that the conference issues are being satisfactorily addressed. Throughout the day, conference participants treated the issues at the heart of the conference as serious problems in the city of Providence that must be addressed in order to improve the quality of life.

Three main themes are evident in the actions proposed by conference participants. Those themes are:

• Create new and enhance existing public information and outreach efforts.
• Strengthen enforcement of existing regulation
• City, state and federal government agencies need to provide more support - both technical and financial - to community-based organizations.

Another theme that emerged in several conference sessions is a perceived lack of effort to incorporate the various racial and ethnic groups living in Providence. Participants said support and encouragement for diverse participation was lacking not only in the conference itself, but in the broader efforts to address urban environmental issues in Providence. Conference participants who raised this point stressed that extra effort is required to reach out to populations that are easily marginalized through language or class-related issues. Solutions put forth were to provide interpreters and utilize a broader range of communication media (e.g., Latino radio stations and newspapers) to promote involvement and disseminate information.

Conference issues were presented in the Livable Providence 2000 briefing book that was supplied to all participants. Those issues were environmental justice, respectful society, brownfields, solid waste and rats, vacant lots, greenspace and openspace, rivers and ponds, environmental health and transportation. Those issues were selected through a series of public meetings with stakeholders, a focus group with community residents and discussions with a range of Providence residents. The success of this conference is self-evident in the large amount of information and suggested actions the conference participants proposed.

This summary report reflects only the statements of conference participants. Summaries from each of the conference sessions follow.

Environmental Health

The group identified a range of threats to environmental health from pollutants in the air, soil and water. They identified human behaviors as the sources of many of those pollutants, with a special emphasis on absentee owners creating ëslums' in the city of Providence. Solutions proposed for these problems concentrated first upon a need for a stronger stand by the judicial branch in penalizing violations of existing laws. Secondly, participants expressed a need for greater efforts from city, state and federal governments, working with community-based organizations, to enhance the flow of information and cooperation in and between themselves.

Environmental Justice (Session One)

A significant amount of frustration with the lack of action on the part of governmental agencies was expressed by the participants of this session. Participants focused upon a need for transferring information and technical support from the government to the community. They felt receiving that support would help empower groups and individuals to achieve environmental justice. The group expressed a need for increased enforcement of existing statutes, a need for increased occupant ownership of homes and a desire to create financial rewards for citizen actions to monitor and improve their neighborhoods. Throughout the session, a fairly high level of cynicism toward government was expressed.

Environmental Justice (Session two)

The action plans developed in this session on environmental justice echo those in the first session. Providing information to disenfranchised communities and creating a structure to support the efforts of community members to empower themselves are central to proposed efforts to achieve environmental justice. Participants in this session did not express as much frustration with government as did those in the prior session.

Vacant Lots

While certainly aware of the negative impacts of vacant lots, this group generally perceived them as an opportunity for positive measures. In broad terms, the actions they suggested focus upon creating a better information system that would empower residents, stronger enforcement of existing regulations, enhanced punishments of negligent owners of vacant lots and the creation of financial motivations for owners and potential owners to make improvements.

Urban Rivers and Ponds

The group identified Providence's urban rivers and ponds as sites for recreational use and aesthetic appeal. While session participants are aware of a number of ongoing activities addressing the quality of Providence's urban rivers and ponds, they believe that more efforts are needed and that those efforts should concentrate on improving water quality. Governing bodies were encouraged to identify and clean up contaminated sites alongside rivers and ponds. Additionally, the group expressed a need for enhanced public education efforts about both the problems and potential benefits of rivers and ponds as well as a desire for more support for community-based organizations.

Greenspace/Openspace

There was a clear consensus among the group that effective and usable openspace and greenspace are valuable and scarce. There was a general idea among session participants that the potential exists for appropriate development of openspace and greenspace based on community concerns and needs. The group felt that there is a need for concerted and coordinated efforts to create new and enhance existing openspace and greenspace within Providence.

Solid Waste and Rats

This discussion centered upon problems participants see in solid waste management and collection, illegal dumping and the number of rats in the city. Suggested actions focused upon government agencies working to penalize illegal or unsanitary practices and the creation of facilities to ease and promote broad public participation in solid waste management and recycling. Participants felt those efforts should be supported with community education efforts.

Transportation

Particular focuses that emerged from this session were desires to protect pedestrians, promote bicycle riding and enhance RIPTA ridership. An agreement emerged around the idea of ending state subsidies to single-passenger commuter vehicles, particularly the practice of providing free or greatly subsidized parking in the urban core. The relocation of I-195 proved to be a point of unresolved disagreement. Participants did agree that comprehensive planning that addresses all modes of transportation and a greater coordination between agencies are needed.

Brownfields

While this group was aware of the problems brownfields signified, they concentrated upon the need to take advantage of the opportunities brownfield sites present. There were differing levels of awareness and belief in the number and effectiveness of activities currently addressing brownfields. Participants agreed that brownfields should be used for greenspace and to act as filters for rainwater runoff thus potentially decreasing costs of proposed sewage projects. Additionally, session participants discussed possible alternative uses for brownfield sites, including the siting of municipal facilities, and the need to devise financial incentives and streamline the brownfield redevelopment process.

Respectful Society (Session One)

Session members did not reach a unanimous agreement on a set of shared values defining quality of life. Unlike the second respectful society session, a point of sensitivity that arose in this group was that people of different backgrounds (e.g., race and ethnicity) have different definitions of "quality" or "respectful society". The group did agree on a desire for safe and peaceful neighborhoods. They did agree that absentee ownership is a problem and that there are more good people than bad, but the bad elements receive more attention than do others. Session participants agreed that action to protect quality of life is needed and that the city needs to participate in that action, especially by promoting greater cohesion and a sense of partnership between city departments and with residents and community-based organizations. The participants thought one step the city should take is to equally enforce laws against all individuals in all parts of Providence.

Respectful Society (Session Two)

Participants in this session agreed, with one exception, that there is a set of social mores shared by all members of society regardless of race or ethnicity. Those shared values could form the basis for an effort to address factors that reduce the quality of life such as graffiti, loud music, drug-dealing, truancy, litter, speeding and a general lack of respect between neighbors as well as between citizens and governing officials. This group thought efforts to improve quality of life should be multifaceted and involve all members of the community including families, schools, police and all governing bodies.