PPS’s Strategic Plan

Since 1956, PPS has played an important role in the preservation and revitalization of the city. We have innovated the practice of historic preservation, establishing a reputation as a national thought-leader in our field. Upon our founding, we piloted a model for urban renewal that included historic preservation as a core tenet, a revolutionary concept at that time. Later, in 1980, we launched the Providence Revolving Fund to help revitalize neighborhoods using real estate finance tools; it became the most admired revolving fund in the country.

Today, however, we and our preservation colleagues nationwide struggle to demonstrate relevance to a broader audience.

The Challenge

While transformative of the built environment, our work has not engaged a city-wide audience, nor adequately protected and stewarded Providence’s complete architectural legacy. We have not kept pace with the issues most affecting the residents of Providence. Recognizing this, and believing that historic preservation has a role to play in addressing a range of contemporary challenges we set about to develop a strategic vision that will engage the broader community of people who care about preservation; thoughtful planning and design; vibrant, healthy, and safe neighborhoods; and affordable, quality housing. We hope they will join us in realizing our vision of a vibrant and sustainable City of Providence, where everyone can thrive.

PPS believes this plan embodies our founders’ hopes for Providence and is forward-looking in a way that those thinkers and innovators, as well as subsequent leadership through the decades, would champion. We hope you agree.

Read the full 2021 Strategic Plan

We welcome your comments, concerns, and general feedback to the plan. You can email us directly or submit your thoughts anonymously.