Explore Providence’s neighborhoods + Woonsocket on foot with Jane’s Walk, a global walking festival on May 2-4, inspired by urban activist Jane Jacobs. These interactive walks are led by local residents and community activists who get people thinking, talking, and connecting with each other. Jane’s Walks are free and anyone can participate!
Walks take place rain or shine and registration is not required — wear comfortable shoes, meet your walk leader in the designated meeting spot listed below, and get ready for a lively discussion. Most walks proceed for 1 – 2 hours. Email janeswalkpvd@gmail.com with any questions! Also, check out Jane’s Walk Aquidneck with programs in Middletown, Newport, and Portsmouth.
Friday, May 2
10:00am: Food, Culture and Community in Fox Point
Facilitators: Joe Fisler, Bobbi Fisler and Barbara Barnes of Lifelong Learning Collaborative (see below)*
Begin: George Araujo Park, corner Ives and Preston Streets
End: George M. Cohan Sculpture at Wickenden and Governor Streets
Fox Point is a fascinating community. The small banners along Ives Street that announce “Food, Culture, Community” tell the whole story. Restaurants here offer food experiences from Thai, Portuguese, Syrian, Mexican and Argentinian cultures. And there is evidence that this proud neighborhood gives witness to who was here in the past and who is here now. From the playground at George Araujo Park, named for a Cape Verdean champion lightweight boxer and Fox Point community leader, to a sculpture of entertainer George M. Cohan on Wickenden Street, there are stories galore. On this tour you can be part of the discovery and part of the fun!
2:00pm: Fox Point as Revealed Through Its Historic Alleys
Facilitators: Mark Guyer, Nancy Maddocks, Ruth Guyer and Beverly Pettine of Lifelong Learning Collaborative (see below)*
Begin: 81 Power Street
End: 33 Thayer Street
Away from the busyness of Wickenden Street lies a network of back alleys. In these alleys are the stories of a Fox Point that was thriving and growing from the 1600s right into the 21st century. Walk and talk with us as we look for clues that help us understand the role that these narrow spaces and byways played, and still do, in the Fox Point story.
4:30pm: Saunter Over the Seekonk
Facilitators: Sarah Zurier and Nancy Austin
Begin: Mary Elizabeth Sharpe Park, 141 Benefit Street
It’s a walk, it’s an urban hike, it’s what philosopher/curmudgeon Henry David Thoreau fondly called a saunter. We will trace our own version of the walk Thoreau took on December 6,1854 through the East Side, over the Seekonk River to Fort Hill in East Providence. As we saunter, participants will survey the urban landscape and share what goes on in our heads when we walk. As Thoreau said, “It is worth the while to see your native village thus sometimes, as if you were a traveler passing through it. . .” The one-way route is less than 3 miles and includes one block of rugged, off-pavement, uphill terrain. Participants can opt to return on foot or take a bus back from East Providence. Sarah Zurier works as an architectural historian at the R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission. She has walked around and all over Providence. Nancy Austin is an enthusiastic Rhode Island historian. Her research on Thoreau’s 1854 visit to Providence inspired this walk.
4:30pm: City Trees of Elmhurst
Facilitator: Jeff Sullivan
Begin: Park across from Pleasant Valley Parkway, meet at 665 Pleasant Valley Parkway
We’ll walk the sidewalks of Elmhurst and appreciate the street and park trees in summer. We will talk about… – the benefits of our urban canopy – annual plantings by the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program (PNPP) – tree pruning by the city, utility companies, and Providence’s own PVD Treekeepers volunteers – green infrastructure and stormwater management – the annual “Energy Saving Trees” program, a collaboration of the Arbor Day Foundation, RI DEM, and the RI Tree Council Trees Are Cool! Jeff is a PVD Treekeeper, RI Tree Steward, and URI Master Gardener
Saturday, May 3
10:00am: Trapezoid of Doom; Opportunity for Change
Facilitator: Traci Picard
Begin: Locust Grove Cemetery, meet in the center
We will be observing Columbus Square in Elmwood, and the adjacent area. There is a whole lot of history for such a compact area. What makes a “park”? How does the access to and from the square feel to us? Does it feel connected to…well, anything? How has this space changed with the removal of the notorious Columbus statue? Can we use our senses to locate any urban animals or plants? Who has passed through, and who is here now? Traci Picard is a public historian and researcher from Providence. She is also one of three writers in residence for the Providence Commemoration Lab, focused on the Columbus Square area.
10:00am: West End Parking Lot Audit
Facilitator: Singer Joy
Begin: Dexter Park near Armory Parking Lot
A parking lot audit of the West End (mostly). Participants will walk from the Cranston Street Armory parking lot to the Higher Ground International parking lot at the corner of Peace and Broad. Together, we will attempt to count how many parking lots we see on the way, and discuss: who owns this lot? Have you ever parked here, and how was the experience? How does this lot respond to the neighborhood around it? Is it good for skateboarding in? have you ever seen this lot used for events? what used to be here? what could be here in the future? Singer Joy is a writer and musician living in the West End. The focus of her artistic study is the Industrial; stuff like parking lots, fax machines and synthesizers. She is descended from a long line of Rhode Island tree lovers.
10:00am: The Architecture of Sheldon Street and the Story It Tells
Facilitators: Sarah Gleason, Cathy Cochran and Susan Baugh of Lifelong Learning Collaborative (see below)*
Begin: North corner of Sheldon Street at Hope Street
End: Sheldon Street at Benefit Street
Residences, a church, and even some quaint industrial buildings – all invite conversation about history and adaptation. From block to block, one can see structures in a wide variety of colors from subtle to bold. Even in the smallest yards, there are discoveries to make. And beyond these yards is a canopy of trees towering above fascinating sidewalk patterns formed by brick, concrete, cobblestone and more. These sidewalks have their own story to tell. Spring has moved swiftly toward full bloom along Sheldon Street. You are invited to walk with us to enjoy one of the most interesting streets in Fox Point.
1:00pm: Echoes on the Loop
Facilitator: Karla Alba
Begin: Roger Williams Park, Temple to Music
Roger Williams Pond Trail is 3.7 miles long and can be completed in 1 hour and 10 minutes. It is a loop, so it ends where it begins. We will walk this together and discuss the work of the Commemoration Lab, and more! Karla Alba is a native of South Providence and grew up in the Washington Park neighborhood. She is also the writing resident for the Providence Commemoration Lab at the Roger Williams Park site. Karla also works as a Program Officer for the Providence Equity Fund at the United Way of RI, leveraging her deep commitment to equity and community engagement. Through her work in the Lab and scholarship, Karla aims to honor the lives that have shaped the narrative of Providence to foster a deeper understanding of the city’s history.
1:00pm: Mapping the Aesthetics of Urban Hiking
Facilitator: Andy Nosal
Begin: Dexter Park, at circle of stone benches
On a walk through some Providence neighborhoods we will try to make sense of a landscape where one street can be a tourist attraction and the next one over a place no one would ever choose to walk if they could avoid it. I have made enough sense of some other places to produce compelling maps “Through a walker’s eye.” But mapping Providence this way will require more legwork and subjective appraisal than one person can perform. More importantly, what might a cartographer learn from a live audience in order to refine an innovative depiction of the relative appeal, contiguity and gaping holes in Providence’s urban fabric? Andy is the former owner of The Map Center. Now writing “2 Feet 2 Bucks,” a column about exploring and sightseeing around Narragansett Bay on foot via public transit. Also creating hand drawn maps of attractive transit-accessible areas ideal for independent wandering.
4:00pm: Past, Present, and Future: Street Designs and Development Patterns in Providence
Facilitator: Kip Santos
Begin: 195 District Park
This is a walk from 195 District Park across the river to Benefit St and up College Hill, discussing the history and various architectural typologies of Providence, ending at Memorial Park. Led by Strong Towns Providence and the Providence Streets Coalition in preparation for the Strong Towns National Gathering on 9-11 Jun. Known as “Kip” to friends, family, and colleagues, Kip is a civil engineer by education, construction manager by experience, and urban infrastructure planner at heart. He splits his time between Vancouver, Canada and New England doing small-scale residential development.
4:00pm: The Jewelry District … Then and Now
Facilitator: Olin Thompson
Begin: Corner Richmond and Ship St
The Jewelry District was the epicenter of jewelry manufacturing in the US, with 90% of all US jewelry made in Rhode Island and the majority of that being made in the Jewelry District. To understand the role that Providence and the Jewelry District we will discuss the history of the jewelry industry, from its beginning in the late 1780s, growth in the 1800s and 1900s and its near death in the late 1970s. And of course, the impact of I-195 and its relocation must be discussed. Was I-195 good or bad for Providence? Good or bad for the Jewelry District? Olin is a 20 year resident of the Jewelry District. His interest in both manufacturing and architecture led him to a study of the history of the Jewelry District.
Sunday, May 4
11:00am: Food Sovereignty 2.0
Facilitators: David Kuma and Rich Pederson
Begin: Cityfarm, 168 West Clifford Street.
This Jane’s Walk will demonstrate over 5 decades of Urban Agricultural efforts in South Providence. Let’s talk and explore the importance of food growing spaces in urban areas where people, cultures, and nature converge to create beauty, community, and health. Learn some environmental stewardship techniques for your own neighborhood and help visualize what Urban Agriculture could look like for Providence’s future. David Kuma and Rich Pederson are Farm Collaborators and Food Growers.
11:00am: Capturing Time: A Stroll through Providence’s Photographic Past
Facilitator: Maureen Taylor
Begin: Market Square
Market Square, along with Westminster and Weybosset streets, were once teeming with shoppers and bustling with activity. In these commercial hubs, many individuals would visit the array of photo studios occupying the downtown spaces. Intense competition led to numerous business failures, yet some studios thrived and endured for generations. It was a common practice to ride the trolley lines to Providence just to have one’s photograph taken. Our walk will explore these locations, focusing on the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century. The walk leader will present images of notable sites and photographs taken at these locations. Participants are encouraged to bring a family photo taken in Providence to share, enriching our collective journey through the city’s photographic past. Maureen is a photo historian and local historian/genealogist that created Oldpvd.com, a site to encourage individuals to post their Providence pictures and share their stories of the city. She contributes articles to Smallstatebighistory.com.
11:00am: Gateway to Fox Point’s Past and Future
Facilitators: Hugh Campbell, Cheryl Campbell, Betty Havrylik and Holly Trahan of Lifelong Learning Collaborative (see below)*
Begin: India Point Park Pedestrian Bridge at the foot of the staircase inside the park
End: George M. Cohan sculpture at Wickenden and Governor Streets
Join us at the India Point Park Pedestrian Bridge as we walk from the riverfront to connect with a neighborhood that once supported the nearby shipping industry. We will explore the multiple layers of Fox Point and observe a vital community begun by a diverse, and ever-growing, group of immigrants who lived and worked near the water. Eventually, shipping gave way to railroads and affiliated industries. Then came roads and automobiles. We will see how building a highway and accompanying urban renewal have affected the area. The walk will take in the unique blend of architectural styles and varied commercial efforts that continue to contribute to this changing neighborhood.
2:00pm: Downtown Woonsocket Walk
Facilitator: Veronicka Vega
Begin: Longley Building, 194 Main Street
We will walk together down Main Street Woonsocket to take a look at the historical district and realize the potential of the area. There are vacant storefronts and underutilized parking lots that could be turned into community spaces, vibrant parks, small businesses, and affordable housing. Veronicka previously worked in local government and is now working for the Providence-based Providence Revolving Fund. In her spare time she volunteers on the board of directors for Sojourner House, McCauley Ministries, and Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative. She’s lived in Woonsocket for over ten years and enjoys the rich history of the city.
2:00pm: Icons of Providence Walk
Facilitator: Béatrice Duchastel de Montrouge
Begin: Textural Gear Sculpture, South Water St across from Wild Colonial
Every city has their iconic visuals—featured on Instagram, emblazoned on t-shirts and stickers, and plastered across tourism websites, images of WaterFire, the “Superman” building, and public murals sprinkled across downtown have come to define contemporary Providence. But what are these iconic images, events, and art pieces actually communicating about our city and do they feel authentic to our experiences in Providence? Additionally, when Providence gets reduced to these snapshots, are there other views that get left out? Together, we will discuss how we personally relate to these works and if we feel like they can define our experiences in the city. Béatrice is an art historian and curator living in Providence, RI. Her research focuses on contemporary artists and the ways they use the forms of memorials, monuments, and museum installations to consider and critique the power structures found in traditional modes of history and traditional art spaces.
2:00pm: Fox Point: Explore This Evolving Neighborhood
Facilitators: Hugh Gorman, Bonnie Gorman, Dave Evans and Amy Parelman of Lifelong Learning Collaborative (see below)*
Begin: Vartan Gregorian School, corner Wickenden Street and East Street
End: St. Joseph’s Church, 92 Hope Street
Over the years, the Fox Point neighborhood has been many things, including the home of Native Americans, African Americans, a Colonial settlement, a thriving port area, and eventually, a tight-knit community shaped by waves of Irish, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean immigrants. Today, it is populated by a mix of long-time residents, university students, and people attracted to its walkable charm. On this Jane’s Walk we will explore how Fox Point is still changing, discover what is being lost or gained, and understand how the built environment serves as a memory of past “Fox Points.”
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* The all-volunteer Lifelong Learning Collaborative (LLC) seeks to serve an increasingly diverse community of adult learners centered in southeastern New England. LLC offers a variety of collaborative, peer-led programs. Five walks were developed for a class titled “Explore Fox Point, Meet Jane Jacobs, and Co-Lead a Walking Conversation.”