RE: “An Ode to the Providence Riverwalk – and a Pitch to Take Part in its Redesign,” from December 10, 2025.
I’m a relatively new Providence resident (moved here with my wife and daughter in summer 2024). One of the things that drew us to the city was the downtown area (believe it or not) and the almost European feel of winding streets, historic city buildings and the river itself. Hands down, the downtown’s crowning glory — so unique for an American city — is the River Walk. Its cross-river bridges, lower cobblestone walks that dart beneath arches, and culmination in the water fire basin, all give the feel of a city that has been beautifully conceived and designed. When I learned that all of this was done in the 1990s and not the 1890s I was astounded.
But I was also impressed by the foresight of the city planners at the time — that they didn’t just draw from the latest trends in urban design (which in the 1980s and 90s were often generic and uninteresting in the interest of cost-saving and pleasing all audiences). Instead, those who oversaw the renovations understood that the key to good urban design is the blend of historical reference and modern design. They also understood that a key to those historical references are the materials themselves. These are what give city visitors and residents alike a deepened sense of place and an almost spiritual feeling of longevity, sustainability, and grounding. In the case of Providence and River Walk, such materials include cobblestone, steel work, and even masonry elements.
Had designers in the 1990s cut corners and made the walkways asphalt instead of cobblestone or simplified bridges with flat concrete faces instead of gracefully sculpted arches, the entire feel of River Walk would be substantially diminished. I truly believe that had they done this, the crowning jewel of the city would be reduced to a nice feature with a cool monthly river event – pleasant but not extraordinary.
I am not against modern, even super-modern, designs. I love the Leesten Memorial Bridge, for example. And I love elements of some of the proposed designs I’ve seen which allow more access to the River for people of all abilities and which borrow from modern river and water-side designs being used in other cities like the incredible re-conception of the piers and river walks in Brooklyn and the west side of Manhattan or the “lake way” designs being contemplated in Madison, Wisconsin. I also understand the urgent need to account for rising water and flooding risks.
But I hope the new designs, even including raising walkways, will prioritize preserving the most incredible features of the River Walk as conceived in the ‘80s and ‘90s including both materials and design. It would be tragic if the raised walk on one side, for example, meant a loss of the arched underpasses beneath the bridges or the replacement of cobblestones with inexpensive road surface materials. A city can preserve its historical design and feel while renovating and adding new elements. Extending points of the walkway or adding hyper-modern elements that are surprising yet beautiful would be wonderful. Just as I.M. Pei’s glass pyramids didn’t interfere with all that is beautiful and historic about the Louvre, so the River Walk improvements can and should preserve the vision of William D. Warner.
James Levy
Mt. Hope
I just received my first Providence Eye newsletter.
I read the article about John Doe, the homeless Providence man who provided the tip on Reddit that led to the capture of the suspect in the Brown University shooting at the Barus & Holley building. [“Source That Unlocked the Case Applauded, and Anonymous,” from December 24.]
The article was excellent – clear, concise, well written and easy to read.
From one Brown alumnus (‘78) to another: God bless you, John Doe. You are the personification of what it means to be “ever true to Brown” and an exemplary citizen of our divine Providence.
Peter Lauro
Blackstone
The post-Brown-shooting article by Christopher Samih-Rotondo [“’Community’ is Easier to Activate After Tragedy. We Should Aspire to That Kind of Solidarity All the Time,” from December 24] is profound and moving.
I appreciate the reminder and need for context when thinking about the shooting at Brown. This article inspired me to investigate local gun control organizations to become involved with. It would be good if we could all find some time to contribute to improving our community and helping others.
Thank you,
Elizabeth Golding
East Side
With regard to your article of December 10 about the Public Street public access site [“South Providence Residents Alarmed Scrapyard Expansion Could Encroach on Their Only Public Coastal Access Point”]one of the key issues is truck traffic.
Instead of using Public Street the city should just put a light up at the driveway on Allens Ave. including a left turn lane going into the Sims site and to give clear traffic for coming out of the site. Using Public Street for the trucks would be obscene.
Greg Gerritt
Providence
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