Honoring those shaping a stronger Rhode Island through innovative community revitalization and preservation initiatives and partnerships.
Each year, committed, creative and resourceful Rhode Islanders show us the way to tap our state’s full potential through projects, plans, and policies that play to Rhode Island’s strengths and generate enduring economic benefits — both statewide and in specific neighborhoods.
2025 Smart Growth Awards
The 14th annual Smart Growth Awards welcomed over 200 guests to the Providence Public Library on May 8th to honor the inspirational work of seven leaders, projects and plans that have made a tremendous impact on our Rhode Island communities through their application of smart growth principles. We invited local journalist, podcast host and musician Bill Bartholomew to deliver a keynote which explored “How Can Places Bring Us Together? Reimagining Rhode Island’s Spaces to Build Social Connection”.
A native Rhode Islander, Bill’s work has been featured in such outlets as NPR, the New York Times and NBC News, and he’s seen regularly on RI’s PBS television and heard regularly on WPRO radio where he’s an Assistant Program Director, Executive Producer and Host. He’s known for his in-depth interviews of political, cultural and business newsmakers and moderating gubernatorial and other major debates. He’s the Founder of RIpodcast.com, an independent digital news platform that hosts the flagship podcast Bartholomewtown.
Barbara SokoloffOutstanding Smart Growth Leader
Barbara Sokoloff is the President of Barbara Sokoloff Associates. Known for her relentless determination to see every project to fruition, she has consulted on planning and development projects that have yielded over 2,500 units of affordable housing and 14 community facilities since 1987. She is a celebrated leader for her plans focused on transportation options and walkable neighborhoods which have influenced policy at the local, state, and national level. Recently her projects have focused on urban areas, combining affordability with revitalization. Ten of these projects, including mixed-use redevelopments such as AS220, have won Honor Awards from the Providence Preservation Society. A project on which she consulted, Georgiaville Village Green, which is a compact style development focused around a green space, won a RI Smart Growth Award in 2021.
Clark SchoettleOutstanding Smart Growth Leader
Clark Schoettle’s work over 40 years has changed the face of Providence, revitalizing its neighborhoods and downtown. He led the Providence Revolving Fund from 1983-2018, expanding its capacity, reach and outcomes, and transforming it from a small historic preservation loan fund to a $12 million community development fund, which continues to grow and evolve under new leadership. With the RI Foundation he created the Downcity Fund that invested over $16 million to help finance the re-development of 24 underutilized buildings in Downtown Providence. His influence also stretches nationally – early in his career, Clark was a co-founder of the National Trust Main Street Project, serving as one of the first three Main Street managers – ever! And he was one of the architect’s of the Four Points Approach to Main Street Revitalization that is now spearheaded by Main Street America.
Chepachet Village Revitalization PlanOutstanding Smart Growth Plan
The Chepachet Village Revitalization Plan builds on all of the area’s previous planning efforts with a five-year implementation and investment plan that has numerous goals: to identify opportunities for affordable housing and mixed-use development, preserve historic resources, improve buildings and infrastructure, implement creative re-use of property, increase tourism and develop infill recommendations. Using input from business and property owners, the Plan guides the Town in initiating projects and leveraging funding to take advantage of the historic pattern of compact development, maximize walkability and ensure that Chepachet Village prospers while retaining its distinctive historic character. To date, the Town has made impressive progress towards implementing the Plan through numerous projects that are supported by $2 million raised so far through a variety of funding sources.
newportFILMOutstanding Smart Growth Project
Screening films outdoors activates public space and connects diverse groups of people to share a common experience. In the case of newportFILM that experience centers around the sharing of current and impactful documentaries, live music and sunset picnics that build community and propel change. Founded by Andrea van Beuren and Nancy Donahoe in 2010, newportFILM has screened over 350 documentary films free of charge, which have reached a total of 225K people in outdoor locations throughout Newport and Aquidneck Island, enabling individuals of all backgrounds to attend. Building on this success, newportFILM has been delivering robust year-round indoor placemaking events in recent years throughout Rhode Island, expanding impact and access of documentary films statewide. These events transform regular spaces into dynamic cultural hubs, encouraging people to socialize and experience their surroundings in new ways.
Residences at Riverside SquareOutstanding Smart Growth Project
The Residences at Riverside Square by One Neighborhood Builders has transformed a contaminated industrial site in East Providence into 16 units of affordable housing for extremely-low- to moderate-income households, with three units specially designated for youth aging out of foster care. Its thoughtful design transitions smoothly between commercial and residential areas while maintaining appropriate neighborhood scale through traditional forms combined with modern details. Located near businesses and bus stops, the building maintains the street edge with parking in the rear and offers privacy through a landscape buffer. Completed in 2024, the townhouses feature covered stoops and fenced yards, while walk-ups share front and rear entries among six neighbors, achieving density without overwhelming the neighborhood character.
United TheatreOutstanding Smart Growth Project
The UNITED in Westerly originally opened as a vaudeville house in 1926 and later operated as a beloved movie theater before closing its doors in 1986. In 2003, the Westerly Land Trust acquired the historic building and its adjacent art nouveau storefront, launching a multi-year effort to reimagine the space as a vibrant cultural hub. Following a $17 million renovation, the UNITED reopened in 2021 and now features three state-of-the-art cinemas, a balconied black box theatre with a 700-person capacity, a multipurpose gallery and small event space, and the UNITED Music School, with seven acoustically isolated classrooms that serves over 400 students each week. The UNITED collaborates with area nonprofits and schools on programming that explores important topics – from environmental awareness to equity and inclusion – and serves as a catalyst for communitAy engagement, contributing to the vitality of Downtown Westerly and its local businesses.
Walker Farm Recreation and Resilience Improvement ProjectOutstanding Smart Growth Project
The Town of Barrington is defined by its relationship to the water, and recognizes that climate impacts are eroding the beloved shared public places where residents of all kinds gather to find happiness in nature near dense development. Walker Farm Recreation and Resilience Improvement Project provides a regional template for successful action in the face of relentless climate impacts. Highlights of the project include: restoring ecological function and habitats, increasing boating, shoreline and water access, adapting key infrastructure for resilience to flooding and storm events, improving food production and harvesting access and infrastructure, improving recreational and educational facilities, and connecting key walking and biking networks. The site design was created collaboratively over 2 years with five site user groups, seven Town Boards and three State and Federal agencies.
2024 Smart Growth Awards
The 2024 Smart Growth Awards were presented at the Power of Place Summit inspiring attendees through seeing smart growth principles being put to use in the best of ways. We welcomed Gil Peñalosa as our keynote speaker and he stirred the audience through his illustrations of smart growth’s clear benefits for public health, economic prosperity, quality of life, equity & justice.
Gil is an internationally recognized smart growth strategist and urbanist – he’s the founder and Board Chair of the Toronto-based non-profit organization 8 80 Cities. A former Commissioner of Parks for Bogota, Colombia, and a Toronto Mayoral candidate, Gil advises decision makers and communities on how to create vibrant cities and healthy communities for people of all ages and backgrounds, focusing on the strong connections between the built environment and public health. Watch his keynote presentation and the panel discussion.
HousingWorks RI at Roger Williams UniversityOutstanding Leadership Award
Under the outstanding leadership of Brenda Clement and Annette Bourne, Housing Works RI at Roger Williams University has become the premier Rhode Island go to source for data and policy analysis regarding our complicated and urgent housing crisis. They highlight clearly how increasing Rhode Islanders’ access to healthy, affordable homes can advance such other key smart growth objectives as stronger transit, increased economic opportunity, revitalized Downtowns and Main Streets and improved public health. Their annual, rigorously researched Housing Fact Book has become Rhode Island’s “go-to” essential resource on housing affordability. Their more recent initiatives, including the RI Zoning Atlas and a report on mobile home parks, are also encouraging policy changes critical to digging us out of our severe housing production and affordability hole.
The Pine Street Project, (SHRI Studio+) Pawtucket
Outstanding Project Award
In collaboration with numerous community stakeholders and partners, Citizen Developer Alison Bologna brought to fruition the creative redevelopment of the historic office building within the Conant Thread / Coats & Clark Mill Complex in Pawtucket, just a short walk from the Pawtucket Central Falls Transit Center. Bologna’s SHRI Yoga Studio, offering low-cost and free yoga classes to Rhode islanders of all backgrounds, was growing rapidly in 2019 when the city’s mayor, Donald Grebien, convinced her to explore rehabbing the mill office building. She closed on the property in January 2020, just three months before the global pandemic shuttered the economy and a massive fire destroyed a cluster of eight nearby mill buildings. Despite many setbacks the project was completed in August 2023 and now boasts several thriving social enterprises and eight mixed-income residential apartments. Since opening, two adjacent developments are now underway bringing an additional 400 units of housing to the Train Station District
East Providence “Main Street” Mixed Use Overlay Districts
Outstanding Policy Award
With many of the City’s commercial corridors in need of reinvestment, East Providence recognized the negative impacts that outdated zoning had on these areas. To incentivize mixed use development and affordable housing located adjacent to services, jobs and transit, the City adopted in December 2022. a series of “Mixed Use Hub” overlay districts. Currently approved for four of the City’s Main Street areas, these districts are noteworthy for their reduction and/or elimination of parking requirements, especially for adaptive reuse affordable housing projects. Simultaneously, the City allowed mixed-use development in all commercial districts, reduced many other parking requirements, and allowed for increased multi-family density. Numerous commercial and housing projects on key sites have resulted from these overlay districts, and the City is considering expanding them to additional corridors.
2023 Smart Growth Awards
The 2023 Smart Growth Awards were presented on June 22nd at the RISD Auditorium. It was an inspiring evening as we honored seven deserving award winners and benefited from the thoughtful words of keynote speaker Ed McMahon. Mr. McMahon is a leading national authority on topics such as the links between health and the built environment, sustainable development, land conservation, smart growth, and historic preservation. His keynote focused on place-based economic development.
2022 Smart Growth Awards
The 2022 Smart Growth Awards were presented at the Power of Place Summit which was designed to provide inspiration and education so you can put smart growth principles into action. The focus of the 2022 Summit was on tackling our acute housing crisis, climate change, social, racial and environmental justice, post-COVID recovery, and community revitalization without displacement. Our daylong, statewide conference focused on the assets and strengths that contribute to our state’s exceptional quality of place.
Internationally recognized smart growth strategist and tactical urbanism expert Mike Lydon was the keynote speaker at the Power of Place Summit in 2022. See Mike’s presentation and subsequent panel discussion about his extensive research on the new opportunities and imperatives for smarter growth catalyzed by the pandemic. You can access the power point presentation here.
2021 Smart Growth Awards
You don’t need us to tell you what a difficult year 2021 was.
Still, the resilient spirit across this dynamic state was alive and well. So this year, we were especially proud to recognize and honor the passionate, creative and resourceful people who continue leading the charge to shape a stronger, more vibrant and equitable Rhode Island for this and future generations.
U.S. Senator Tom Carper, Chairman of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, delivered the keynote address “Bringing America’s Transportation and Infrastructure into the 21st Century” and shared his vision for the future of transportation and how it might be achieved. Senator Carper’s committee leadership position and close association with President Biden make him one of the nation’s most influential voices on the wide range of pending federal Transportation and Infrastructure proposals.
Following Senator Carper’s perspective on President Biden’s transportation and infrastructure proposal, a distinguished panel featuring Rhode Island’s U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Xaykham Khamsyvoravong, Chair of Governor McKee’s transition team sub-group on transportation and infrastructure, and Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation for America discussed how the nation and Rhode Island can leverage this once-in-a-generation opportunity to build back better. The panel was moderated by NBC10’s Alison Bologna.
2020 Smart Growth Awards
2019 Smart Growth Awards
2017 Smart Growth Awards
Grow Smart RI’s Mission Statement
To lead and engage Rhode Islanders in advancing neighborhood revitalization, environmental stewardship, and economic opportunity for all.
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