The New, New Kennedy Plaza is Coming. What are we going to do with it?

In case you’re wondering what in god’s name is happening at Kennedy Plaza this week, here is a link from the department of planning and development detailing the changes to come (note that it’s in PDF format, so be ready). It’s an interesting plan, and one that I’ve been following for some time. As you’ll see in the diagram, there are many new public spaces that are going up around DownCity. This is mostly a positive development, however, public space is not always a good thing in and of itself. What matters more is how it is used.

Currently, Kennedy Plaza is heavily trafficked for its public transit access. But take away that function and what will become of it? Providence has numerous plazas and parks dotting DownCity already, many of which sit empty or else are being used for purposes other than their original intent. This isn’t to say that we don’t need public spaces, but rather that we need to be more active in how we use them. Programs like the weekend beer garden in Burnside Park, or Shakespeare in the Park by the Roger Williams memorial are great examples of what can be done to inject life into a public space.  I haven’t heard one way or the other what designs civic groups might have on this new public space, but I hope the city will be more proactive about working with them to make this the kind of public space we will actually want to spend time in.