Providence Preservation Society

Journalism, preservation, and planning have a long-standing, intertwined relationship, going back to Jane Jacobs’ advocacy in Greenwich Village in the 1950s and ’60s amid urban renewal and mass displacement in New York City. With the decline in local news over the past decades, we are in an interesting period in the evolution of journalism, with “solutions journalism” and “advocacy journalism” suggesting a new way to marry advocacy and reporting. PPS’s reporting initiative, The Providence Post, is part of all of this. PPS published a (paper) newsletter as far back as 1958 and has even sponsored competitions for local reporters in the past. The Providence Post is the most comprehensive, inclusive and investigative evolution of work that has been part of the organization from the beginning.

PPS launched the Providence Post in August 2024 to help fill the gap in local news reporting — for our readers and for ourselves. Each weekly edition contains 2-3 reported stories on the people, places, and policies that shape the city with special attention to heritage, planning and development, architecture, gentrification, neighborhood change, and Providence’s history.

As an advocacy organization, we depend on up-to-date information about developments in the city in order to understand where communities and neighborhoods are under pressure and where our historic resources are threatened. Without this information, it is difficult for us and for the communities we serve to create an informed action plan.

Our Coverage Areas:

Providence History
Architecture & Preservation
Urban Planning & Design
Housing & Development
Gentrification & Neighborhood Change
City Meetings
Land Use Policy
Heritage & Culture
Sustainable Building & Design
Historic Building Trades