Since Roger Williams first sought refuge here nearly 400 years ago, Providence has been known as a haven for both residents and visitors. A new initiative from the Downtown Providence Parks Network, titled “You Belong Here,” cements that identity through a public marker project now on display throughout downtown.
Nora Barré, executive director of the Downtown Providence Parks Network, is excited about the Downtown Providence Park Wayfinding Project, a program designed to transform public spaces through eye-catching banners and enhanced navigation tools. Barré’s goal is to present a fresh, engaging presence in Providence while making it easier for residents and visitors to navigate and explore the city. The theme is loosely based on the idea that the city is for everyone – welcoming newcomers as well as longtime residents.
“The overarching theme is that you belong here – everybody belongs here – we welcome everybody in Providence,” says Barré, who emphasizes the city’s legacy of historically embracing immigrants, an idea that influenced the project. The markers extend from the Point Street Bridge to Waterplace Park, encompassing Biltmore Park, Burnside Park, and Kennedy Plaza.
“Public spaces are the core of our democracy,” says Barré. “Not to sound cheesy, but Providence is my adopted home. I am originally Syrian, I came from a dictatorship, and I’ve been all over the US and Canada, but I’ve never felt more at home than in Rhode Island.”
While many cities have implemented
successful wayfinding projects, Barré wanted Providence to be different. “I didn’t want to do another boring pedestrian wayfinding program,” she says. “I wanted to do something that taught people, locals and visitors alike, about our history. Even if it’s not a massive amount, our goal is for people to walk away with three ideas or new things to help them build civic pride in our
democratic spaces and public parks.”
In developing the project, designers met with community leaders and representatives from non-profit agencies to learn more about the city’s heritage. “We focused on little-known history so people can learn something new,” says Barré. “We did research on the places and architecture that make Providence unique.”
The banners showcase both historic and contemporary figures who have contributed to the city’s vibrant character. Among them are Emmanuel “Manno” Bernoon, a formerly enslaved man believed to have opened the first oyster bar in the United States; Christiana Carteaux Bannister, a supporter of the arts and the wife of artist Edward Mitchell Bannister; and Josefina “Doña Fefa” Rosario, regarded as the “mother” of Rhode Island’s Latino communities. The only living individual featured on a banner is former Providence Mayor and United States Congressman David Cicilline, the first openly gay mayor of a US state capital.
QR codes printed on the banners will provide easy access to interactive maps, event schedules, cultural insights, and directories of nearby businesses and restaurants. In a nod to the city’s seafaring heritage, the project also features five anchors, spread throughout downtown parks, programmed to play music, complete with software that allows officials to change the sounds based on events happening in the city. “A lot of the people have made Providence the wonderful, lovely place that it is,” adds Barré. “We’ll continue to do that with pop-ups to activate the banners and bring them to life throughout the year.” Learn more at DowntownParks.org
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