Best Places just named their top ten cities in the US for block parties, and Providence ranked #5. I’m not sure how valid the research methodology was, since it was sponsored by a group of BBQ-centric consumer brands, measuring “the frequency and importance of block parties to the community.” But the point is well taken, [...]

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Hackable Idea of the Week has been on a bit of a hiatus, but a story on NPR’s Weekend Edition caught my ear.
Across the country, citizen-run guerilla drive-ins are springing up in municipal public spaces and vacant lots. A loose collective of folks puts together a showing of a movie projected outdoors on the side [...]

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From the City News Interview Series…
GENS Community Building Director Ronnie Young: “The only way we’re going to be able to build a livable, comfortable neighborhood is by getting out there and talking to your neighbors.”
26-Year Old Ronnie Young of the Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services (GENS) knows what it’s like to “Celebrate Providence” and his neighborhood, [...]

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Some folks in south Providence have started a grass-roots organization called Citizens for Resident Permit Parking (CRPP), to advocate for a resident parking permit that allows overnight parking on the streets.
Its unclear yet whether CRPP will position itself as a traditional petition and advocacy group, or harness some hackability principles to influence and craft a [...]

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From the City News interview series…
Providence Sound Session’s Mas Camp Manager David Alexis: “Come on down. Come bring costumes. You’ll have a great time!”
A decade ago, Trinidad native and Providence resident David Alexis had the opportunity to meet Donald King, Providence Black Rep’s Artistic Director, at a theater production at Brown University. They formed a [...]

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Over at The Place of Social Media, Eric Gordon is starting a discussion on what the emergence of social media means for cities, communities, and the individuals who live in them. He makes a great point, that “digitally annotated physical communities often rely on the full disclosure of identity for their functionality. For instance, when [...]

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From the City News interview series…
Federal Hill Commerce Association’s New President Michelle Ahlborg Monitors Providence’s HeartBeat
Six years ago, opening a business on Atwells Avenue was merely a dream for marketing and communications executive, Michelle Ahlborg, who is thrilled to finally be running her firm, A&M Productions, on the street she calls, “the heartbeat of Providence.” [...]

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