Green And Complete: Good For People And Providence

Getting around Providence right now can be stressful, chaotic and scary for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced how important it is to have safe spaces to walk, bike, and travel in the city. 

Planning, designing, and building roads that respond to the needs of all users will provide children, families, older adults and people of all abilities a variety of options for getting around –– whether walking, biking, taking public transportation, driving their own cars, or sharing rides with family and friends.  Green and Complete Streets design allows everyone to share the road and get their own safe piece of the street.

In 2019, Providence began a multi-year effort to reconnect its neighborhoods. Called the Great Streets Initiative, this plan is designed to make streets throughout the city safer and less congested by creating a connected network of paths for walking, biking, and rolling, as well as improving bus and pedestrian infrastructure, lighting, trash and recycling, and street trees and greenery throughout the city.

A “Green and Complete Streets” ordinance recently introduced in the Providence City Council would ensure that this important work continues into the future. The ordinance would require that every street that gets repaved or reconstructed be improved for safety and sustainability –– not only the streets that are identified for improvements in the Great Streets Initiative or any particular plan.

Central to the creation of active and livable communities and the ability to age healthily in one’s own community is the possibility for everyone, regardless of age, income or ability, to travel safely. This is why AARP and the American Heart Association (AHA) have been strong proponents of Green and Complete Streets policies across the country at the city, state, and federal levels.

AARP has long promoted transportation options for older adults nationally and at the state and local levels. Older people consistently tell AARP that it’s important for them to be able to stay in their homes and communities as they age. 8.4 million older Americans no longer drive – and they need a variety of options, including places to walk safely in order to stay connected to their communities. Mobility is key to maintaining independence and to staying connected to the community.

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things people can do to improve their cardiovascular health; however, population levels of physical activity remain low in the United States. A 2020 policy statement from AHA concluded that using human-powered, active transportation is one of the leading evidence-based strategies to increase physical activity, regardless of age, income, racial or ethnic background, ability or disability, but environments must be conducive to such activity.

AARP and AHA urge city leaders to give the people who live in and visit Providence the benefits that the Great Streets Initiative and the Green and Complete Streets Ordinance would provide. Now is the time for the City of Providence to join the growing list of communities that have made these changes, and be a shining example of what can be accomplished to improve the lives of all citizens, especially our children, older adults and people with disabilities.