Rhode Island Blog Posts

I lift my hand to knock on the first door and pause, wondering. Will this be as easy as it was in Maine? Will I have to break out my Spanish for the first time in months? Will they even hear my knock, or will my three raps be too sharp to invite an answer?

The West End of Providence was a treasure trove of potential when I first walked through it, vacant lots occupied every street, curbs were wide and dilapidated and unused impervious surfaces were abundant: the ideal community for green infrastructure. My imagination ran wild; I would walk around and envision small rain gardens or massive pedestrian refuges in the streets.

“The siding is all new so the fire must have been recent,” said Rachel Newman-Greene, from West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation guiding our walking tour.

I feel really fortunate to live in the kind of community where your neighbors are a cornerstone of your life — we get together for coffee on Saturday mornings in our PJ’s, we take care of each others’ pets when someone goes away to travel, and we share our family life.