Thank you for sharing this perspective [I’m a Renter in Providence Who Opposes the City’s Proposed Rent-Control Legislation. Here’s Why.] It has taught me more about a complex issue. If not rent control, what helps improve housing?
Doesn’t rent control, in the long run, disincentivize landlords in the first place, and isn’t it better if more people own their homes?
Zach Edson
College Hill
$100 or $200 annual cost to park overnight may be higher than other cities yet $100 barely begins to cover the cost of providing those parking spaces.
For instance, most of the work done by snowplows is in addition to the essential opening of travel lanes. “Curb to curb” street clearing is the sacrosanct goal because There Must Be Parking. That is a lot of money.
Neither this article [Providence Sees Five Year High in Overnight Parking Tickets, with Over 50,000 Issued in 2025] nor the BU study questions the assumption that cheap or free parking for all is an indispensable obligation. Meanwhile, “There is no money for that” is the response to any proposal that the city spend more than zero clearing sidewalks, crosswalks and bus stopsneeded by any person not traveling by car.
This is crazy: I just watched my city spend many $100s to make it possible for me to drive and park if I wish but one month after a storm I still can not safely walk to my everyday needs and errands.
Andrew Nosal
West End
[In response to “Crook Point Bascule Bridge Will Be Demolished — Unless Providence Takes Action“] I just want to comment that the ground-level area (along the bike path) at the Crook Point bridge is a terrible eyesore, fenced off with chain link to discourage trespassing, yet still the target of vandalism and graffiti. The city should see to cleaning it up as it currently looks like a mini dumping grounds full of weeds and litter.
Andrew Nosal
West End
I fully appreciate both these articles [“I’m a Renter in Providence Who Opposes the City’s Proposed Rent-Control Legislation. Here’s Why.” and “Four Years of Renting in Providence Have Left Me Feeling Vulnerable, Rootless, and Unsure I’ll Ever Afford A Home.“] holding different points of view on housing and rent control. The first article taught me the potential drawbacks to rent control I hadn’t known; the second reminded me of my precarious 30s renting near Harvard Square—which took luck and well-connected friends. Many thanks!
Cynthia Shattuck
Warwick
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