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LATEST NEWS

AT A GLANCE

EVENTS:

Next Main Street Roundtable -- Asset Mapping: How to Identify Economic Development Assets in Your Main Street. Featuring Miriam Parson, Main Street America. THIS THURSDAY, March 5, 12-1pm ZOOM. REGISTER

BLOCK BY BLOCK FILM SERIES Presents: Triple Decker: a New England Love Story. A Film by Marc Levitt. Imago Gallery, Warren RI. March 20, 5:30-8pm. REGISTER

2026 Grow Smart RI POWER OF PLACE SUMMIT - SAVE THE DATE: June 26, 2026. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI. LEARN MORE

MEDIA AND COMMENTARY:

Main Street: Power of Place Podcast Season 2, Episode 2 takes us to Providence's Mount Hope community, featuring Dwayne Keys and Helen Baskerville-Dukes of the Mount Hope Community Center Business Alliance. LISTEN


SPECIAL:

Jane's Walk RI: Explore city neighborhoods on foot during Jane’s Walk, a global weekend festival of walking conversations inspired by urban activist Jane Jacobs. Currently there are Jane's Walk programs in Providence and Aquidneck Island -- both of which are accepting walk proposals now. Jane's Walk 2026 is scheduled for May 1-3. LEARN MORE.

PARTNER NEWS AND PROGRAMS:

We're excited to be collaborating with several other mission aligned organizations here in Rhode Island. Be sure to catch all that they're up to at the bottom of this Newsletter.

EVENTS

MAIN STREET ROUNDTABLE THIS THURSDAY --

Asset Mapping: How to Identify Economic Development Assets in Your Main Street

March 5, 2026

12-1PM: ZOOM

Featuring: Miriam Parson, Main Street America Director of Network Capacity Building, Launch

Asset mapping focuses your economic development strategy on what make your place unique to both residents and visitors. Assets are what we want to keep, build upon, and sustain for future generations. They can be physical things, like historic buildings or a local park, or cultural assets like a festival or an intergenerational social club.

Join us to learn the Whole Assets Approach with Main Street America. Leave with your own asset map to continue developing with stakeholders back home.

BLOCK BY BLOCK FILM SERIES Presents:

Triple Decker: a New England Love Story

Grow Smart RI and Neighbors Welcome! RI hosts the second installment of the Block by Block Film Series with a piece by local filmmaker Marc Levitt. Free Pizza and Drinks Provided. Discussion to Follow.

March 20, 5:30-8pm
Imago Gallery

36 Market Street, Warren, RI

MEDIA AND COMMENTARY

SEASON 2

MAIN STREET: A Power of Place Podcast

Our Main Street: A Power of Place Podcast, is back with a new season! In episode 1 we travel to Forget Me Not Fables, the new bookstore in Centredale, RI. Episode 2 takes us to Mount Hope Community Center Business Alliance featuring Dwayne Keys and Helen Baskerville-Dukes.

New episodes drop every other Friday. Listen on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify today!

Are You Signed up for Our Main Street News? If not, you're missing out. Read our recent edition of our monthly Main Street RI News and sign up for more!

SPECIAL

INTRODUCING: JANE'S WALK RI

Explore city neighborhoods on foot during Jane’s Walk, a global weekend festival of walking conversations the first weekend of May every year, inspired by urban activist Jane Jacobs. These free, interactive walks are led by local residents and community activists who share stories and ask questions that get people thinking, talking, and connecting with each other. Jane's Walk 2026 is scheduled for May 1-3.

Currently there are Jane’s Walk RI programs in Providence and Aquidneck Island. More about each program found here along with information on starting one in your city or town!

Propose a Providence Walk! Jane's Walk Providence is hosted by the Providence Preservation Society.

Propose an Aquidneck Island Walk! Jane's Walk Aquidneck Island is hosted by Center Aquidneck

PARTNER NEWS + PROGRAMS

EVENTS:

Expanding Investment in New England Communities: Tuesday, March 10, 8:30-1:30pm
This half-day conference will feature discussions and partnership building around the State’s housing needs, opportunities, and challenges, especially to build and preserve more housing. Providence,RI. REGISTER

2026 RI League of Cities and Towns Annual Convention: Thursday, March 19.

Rhode Island's premier event for municipal officials and other government leaders focused on tackling today's most pressing policy challenges. Warwick, RI. REGISTER.

2026 Rhode Island Land & Water Conservation Summit: Saturday, March 21, 8-4pm.

This year's Summit will focus on The Work Ahead: Caring for Our Land and Water and Creating a Just Future, and will explore the complex and necessary acts of conservation and stewardship across Rhode Island’s landscapes and watersheds.

South Kingstown, RI. REGISTER

DESIGN WEEK RI -- Proposals Due March 27: Apply Here.

WEBINAR

Turning Conflict into Trust: Communication Strategies for Urban Transformation.

Featuring Maite Peris, Former Communications Director to the City of Barcelona, Spain.

880 Cities, MARCH 10, @11am EST.

FREE. LEARN MORE AND REGISTER.

WHAT WE'RE READING:

WEAKENED CONNECTIONS: RIPTA’s service cuts disrupting sectors of R.I. workforce, Providence Business News, February 2027

Placemaking Is Dead, Long Live Placemaking!: A verb became a noun. A process became a product. And an approach became an adjective. Strong Towns, February 2026

State housing toolkit promotes pre-approved house plans, Congress for New Urbanism, February 2026

Three Ways of Understanding the Housing Crisis: Why supply, demand, and structure lead to very different theories of change. Chuck Marohn, Strong Towns, March 2026

The Main Street RI Initiative - What It Means for Preservation Here, Preserve RI, March 2026

It's not that Radical, by Mikaela Loach. Focus of Climate Action RI's Winter Book Club: Sunday, March 22 @5:30pm. Riff Raff Bar and Bookstore, 60 Valley St. Providence. REGISTER.

Making Democracy Fun: How Game Design Can Empower Citizens and Transform Politics by Josh A. Lerner. Focus of Local Return's Book Club discussion on March 24, @6pm. Urban Greens Community Room, Providence. REGISTER.

OPPORTUNITIES:

2026 AARP Community Challenge Grant

AARP Rhode Island invites local eligible organizations and governments across the state to apply for the 2026 AARP Community Challenge grant program, now through March 4, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The grants fund quick-action projects that help communities become more livable in the long-term by improving public spaces, transportation, housing, digital connections, and more. All projects must be completed by December 15, 2026.

APPLICATION DUE: TOMORROW - March 4, 2026 @5pm

Grant for Community Climate Resilience

The Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) is now accepting applications for grants to help communities accelerate their climate resilience plans and projects. Awards include funding, as well as training and technical support. Ranging from $75,000-$115,000 per award, funds can be used over a twelve-month period to advance activities ranging from risk assessments and community engagement to project prioritization and implementation.  

APPLICATION DUE: March 12, 2026

2026 Certified Local Government Grants

The 2026 Certified Local Government Grant period is now open! The Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission administers a Certified Local Government (CLG) Grant Program for municipal historical preservation activities in RI's 19 communities with local historic district commissions.  

APPLICATION DUE: March 27, 2026

Have something to share for our next monthly edition? If so, email Caroline Stevens.

RHODY LOVE NOTES:

a collective mapping project that builds community around beloved places and spaces hidden across Rhode Island.

a Rhody Love Note for you . . .

TO:  Providence Northern Model Railroad Club

FROM:  Toby Ayers

Model trains!!!!! Attention Rail-Fans: Every December at the Warwick Grange, the Providence Northern Model Railroad Club holds an Open House - a model trains extravaganza. On the ground floor, trains are exhibited and for sale. The upstairs is completely filled with scenic Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut stations in our region, with an amazing assortment of trains running, including the Ringling brothers circus train, Conway scenic #7470, Lima #6100, NYC 20th century limited, Conrail, Amtrak and More! 

The club is open every Saturday 12-4, it's free but please donate. Check out their Facebook page here.

LOCATION: 1175 W. Shore Rd, Warwick, RI

LOVE THIS? Share Your Love with Grow Smart RI by Making a Donation Today.

Grow Smart RI is proud to be collaborating with AARP all year long to advance smart growth in Rhode Island:

Opt-In Notice. Yes, please share my information with AARP so it can keep me informed about AARP programs, events and offerings. I understand AARP will send me an initial email to confirm my interest in further AARP email communications and my email preferences can be changed at any time. AARP Privacy Policy

Thank You to our Corporate Members

Grow Smart RI | www.GrowSmartRI.org