Will Morgan - 23 Who Made a Difference in RI in 2023

Will Morgan - 23 Who Made a Difference in RI in 2023

Will Morgan, GoLocal’s architecture critic, has become a leading voice for neighborhoods, sane development, and quality design in Rhode Island.

No one speaks out louder or more clearly than Morgan when the government and developers go off the rails, ignoring the voice of the community.

Morgan, who has written more than a dozen books on architecture and has taught at top-tier colleges and universities, has filled a cavernous void combining critique, advocacy, and historical perspective.

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Morgan has been one of the defenders of the Fox Point neighborhood, now nearly constantly under attack by developers looking for quick scores and the politicos who feast on their donations.

It has been Morgan, along with others, who have pressed the 195 Commission to consider design and height. Providence is a city that is a destination because of its remarkable architecture and history, but the 195 Commission seems to place a higher degree of importance on Trader Joe’s and new liquor stores.

Morgan’s understanding of how communities work and how something so simple as a cafe can spark an economic revival could be found in his piece, "The Revival of Downtown East Providence, One Cafe at a Time:"

Providence’s most desirable area, the East Side, is threatened by Brown’s voracious growth, while the formerly quirky small shopkeeper ambiance of Thayer Street is gone, reduced to a characterless and barely recognizable strip. The very success of the East Side is making it unaffordable for all but the wealthy.

Thus, the logical place for the next East Side is on the “other side of tracks" in East Providence. Central Falls, Pawtucket, or Providence’s West End simply do not have the Townies’ salubrious setting.

One agent of change is Levi Medina, an East Providence native who opened Café Zara at  130 Taunton Avenue three years ago. A foodie who studied marketing at Johnson and Wales, Medina operated a food truck–Portu-galo–in Providence until he decided to act on his belief in his hometown. Alas,  politicians too often believe that the only way to revive a city is through large-scale development, such as a soccer stadium or a skyscraper.

Yet the small is beautiful mantra is more sensible, less costly, and more likely to effect authentic economic change. Try to imagine Wickenden Street without the Coffee Exchange, or Hope Street without Seven Stars. The East Providence branch of Seven Stars helped spark the successful development of the Rumford Baking Powder mill.

Quite simply, no other writer or thinker understands the rhythm of neighborhoods as Morgan does.