06/04/2026
Our 2026 Outstanding Smart Growth Plan Award goes to the PVD Tree Plan.
Developed by community groups, nonprofit organizations, residents, city departments, researchers, experts, and urban forestry practitioners, the PVD Tree Plan has laid out a vision and strategic pathway to a just and resilient urban forest. Most notably, the initiative has centered the voices of those most impacted by the lack of tree canopy and other environmental injustices.
Efforts include holding neighborhood-level community tree forums for residents to share priorities and concerns, creating networks of paid community ambassadors supporting frontline neighborhoods with their urban forestry knowledge and outreach, and building ongoing community-led governance structures to steer resources and guide the Plan’s implementation.
The cooperative nature of the Plan’s creation set the gears in motion for the deeply collaborative work—across the many practitioners, sectors and communities that intersect with Providence’s urban forest—necessary to achieve the PVD Tree Plan’s ambitious vision: a Providence that is healthier, greener, more resilient, and more just.
We'll present our 2026 Smart Growth Awards on Friday, June 26 during our Power of Place Summit in Providence.
Providence Neighborhood Planting Program
Providence Parks Department Providence Planning & Economic Development
