195 Commission: We Need Vision – Architecture Critic Morgan
[ad_1]
Friday, December 22, 2023
The I-195 Redevelopment District Commission’s Chair Marc Crisafulli and its Executive Director Carolyn Skuncik met with the Fox Point Neighborhood Association on Zoom recently.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE — SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
They reviewed the current state of development in their remit and addressed citizen concerns about traffic, noise, and general environmental degradation resulting from a variety of projects underway and planned.
In contrast to his imperious predecessor at the Commission, Crisafulli was smooth and seemingly forthcoming. GoLocal asked why almost all of the 195 projects were so mediocre in terms of architectural design.
Parcel 9: More bland 195 construction that will add housing, congestion, pollution, and shadows, but nothing aesthetically, to Fox Point. PHOTO: Paul Lietar
Everyone understands that overseeing an undertaking on such a massive scale and in the current economic climate, not to mention Providence’s quirky politics, is a real challenge. And it is fraught with all sort of detours, traps, and quicksand. Nevertheless, the response to the issue of design mediocrity–a laundry list of obstacles, including money and materials–was reminiscent of the three university presidents testifying before Congress about antisemitism on their campuses. As Claudette Gay, the President of Harvard, legalistically and pathetically declared, “It all depends upon the context.”
Yet the context of the 195 Commission is arguably the most important urban makeover since the uncovering of the Providence River. The relocation of the intrusive interstate that cut through Fox Point and the Jewelry District was a bold and courageous act that identified a city willing to stand up to highway planning chaos and take chances. The most glorious development opportunity imaginable for a unified urban mosaic was revealed beneath all that steel and concrete: two river banks, open parks, College Hill, the Jewelry District, and downtown, all at the head of Narragansett Bay.
Instead of a grand unifying vision for this city-changing gift, however, the 195 land was divvied up into little chunks, with little relationship to each other or to the city around them (i.e., context). The usual response to the failure of design excellence is development economics: there’s not enough money, extra-city developers shy away from Providence, good architecture is too expensive, and so on. Nevertheless, with the possible exception of 225 Dyer Street, the result is an undistinguished set of anywhere-and-everywhere apartments, hotels, and commercial blocks. It is ironic to see what is unfolding in one of the most architecturally rich cities in America. People do not come to Providence to marvel at Trader Joe’s or the dreary…
[ad_2]
Read More: 195 Commission: We Need Vision – Architecture Critic Morgan