Brent Runyon

Brent Runyon served for 10 years as the Executive Director of the Providence Preservation Society (PPDS) and is a credentialed historic preservationist. He has been a vital force in finding solutions to the critical issues faced by our city, including housing, jobs and economic security, and racial justice. While the combination of historic preservation and affordable housing  presents several challenges, Runyon  provided a valued perspective stressing that historic renovation can be a catalyst for neighborhood rebirth.

How did you first become interested in the issue of housing needs in Rhode Island?

I’d done some work on exclusionary zoning and how design guidelines could help low-income housing be more acceptable in small historic communities, so I've been interested in the topic for a long time.  

Thoughts on how SWAP has made a difference in housing and revitalizing neighborhoods over the past 50 years?

In my first years at the Providence Preservation Society, I reached out to organizations making a difference in Providence's historic neighborhoods to understand how historic preservation helps or hinders their work. In that process, I learned of SWAP's long history of restoration that bolstered the Pine Street National Register Historic District. Throughout the years, I watched and celebrated SWAP's infill projects along Broad Street. The attention that SWAP devotes to housing design and planning bolsters the traditional character of our in-town neighborhoods.

Community housing development has evolved over the past 50 years – but we find ourselves in a housing crisis.  What do you see as the role for SWAP and other CDC’s in finding solutions to create more housing in RI?  

SWAP and other CDC's are among the most innovative developers in Rhode Island and the fact that they are embedded in the communities they serve means they know what is needed.  

What are you doing now?

I am a real estate agent with Residential Properties Ltd, with an expertise in historic homes (historichomesri.com), and a historic preservation consultant (runyonheritage.com). I also serve on the boards of Housing Works RI at RWU, the Providence Resilience Partnership, the Providence Art Club, the RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, and the State House Restoration Committee.