Citywide Environment

The Providence Plan content is under development. The links below lead to a variety of interesting information on environmental issues in the City.

Providence Urban Forest Project
This ongoing project explores environmental benefits of forest canopy in the City.

New! Providence Water Usage Chart

Center for Environmental Studies at Brown University, 2002 Urban Theses
During the past year, three graduate students and three undergraduate students undertook thesis projects dealing with urban quality of life in Providence. These projects, available exclusively online, use GIS mapping and other qualitative tools.

Trash, Rats, Recycling: Communicating about Garbage Management in the Urban Core This project, by Brown CES student Jessica Intrator, explores residential waste management in urban core areas, including a Smith Hill case study

The Costs Associated with Problem Housing in Elmwood The purpose of this study, by Brown CES student Martha Alarie, is to provide a method for identifying problem houses and offer recommendations on how to abate these houses by working with both the City and local organizations. This study addresses the "where to start?" question by asking: Can problem houses be identified using municipal data?

Air Quality and Comparative Exposure: A Parcel-Level Cumulative Risk Analysis This study, by Brown CES students Rachael Moeller and Amanda Aretz, assesses the potential impacts, at the parcel level, of air toxins emitted from area sources in sections of the Lower South Providence, Washington Park, and Elmwood neighborhoods in Providence, RI.

Picturing Renewal: Using GIS to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Housing Renovation In this study, Brown CES student Christine Coletta explores the relationship between the renovation of abandoned buildings and the change in crime rates in lower income neighborhoods. She asks: Does renovating abandoned houses affect crime rates in a neighborhood? and Does renovation change the crimes associated with houses that were renovated?

Understanding Crime and Perception of Safety in Providence's Parks
This study, by Brown CES student Miriam Pfisterer, focuses on the urban parks in Providence, Rhode Island, and explores the following questions:
1. What are Providence residents' perceptions of the quality and safety of their parks?
2. What is the quantifiable context of crime for these parks?
3. How do these inform our understanding of what constitutes a successful park?

Urban Environmental Program: Providence, RI
An EPA Special Program. "Working together to improve the quality of life for urban residents."
A bottom's up approach to environmental and public health problems to restore and revitalize the environment of urban neighborhoods in target cities, build local capacity to deal with environmental concerns, and promote sustainable economic development.

Groundwork Providence
"changing places, changing lives"
The mission of Groundwork Providence is to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement, and management of the physical environment by developing community based partnerships, which empower people, businesses, and organizations to promote environmental, economic, and social well-being. The purpose is to build sustainable communities through joint environmental action. The strategy to accomplish this is to build holistic programs, which together promote people, places, and prosperity, create effective partnership at all levels and maximize performance throughout Groundwork.
For information on programs:
- Brownfields Training and Employment
- Mashapaug Pond Nature Trail
- Recycling in Providence
- Youth Employment and Education

Southside Community Land Trust
Located in South Providence, Rhode Island, SCLT is committed to the belief that city dwellers are entitled to a healthy environment. SCLT's community gardens produce food and the opportunity for better nutrition and greater self sufficiency. These gardens provide open and healthy urban space, transform blighted vacant lots, and offer recreation to individuals and to families. The educational programs the Land Trust sponsors work to link critical urban environmental issues, such as lead poisoning, water conservation, open space preservation, and community development, with agriculture. Above all, the Land Trust exists as a place where members of the community can learn to rediscover their relationship with nature and with each other.

Livable Providence 2000
These briefing papers are a collection of information and data on a broad range of topics that affect the quality of life for Providence residents. They are intended to encourage community participation in the creation of an urban environmental public policy and an action implementation plan for Providence -Providence's first Environmental Plan. The papers provide a background for a Livable Providence 2000 Conference, held on October 23, 1999, to gather community input for inclusion in the City's Comprehensive Plan.

The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council
In 1998, hundreds of watershed residents joined in the successful effort to have the Woonasquatucket River designated as one of fourteen American Heritage Rivers. This important federal designation honors the historic, cultural, economic and environmental significance of this Rhode Island treasure. Watershed residents, now organized as the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, continue their efforts to revitalize the river and the six communities in the watershed - Gloucester, North Smithfield, Johnston, North Providence and Providence. The Council works closely with local partners businesses, non-profit organizations, and state and federal agencies to advance local goals. Together we will improve the River and enhance the quality of life for the residents of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed.

Save the Bay
People for Narragansett Bay

National Priorities List
Superfund Sites in Rhode Island
Years ago, people were less aware of how dumping chemical wastes might affect public health and the environment. On thousands of properties where such practices were intensive or continuous, the result was uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites, such as abandoned warehouses and landfills. Citizen concern over the extent of this problem led Congress to establish the Superfund Program in 1980 to locate, investigate, and clean up the worst sites nationwide. The EPA administers the Superfund program in cooperation with individual states and tribal governments.

State of Rhode Island
Department of Environmental Management (DEM)

EnviroMapper
EnviroMapper is a powerful tool used to map various types of environmental information, including air releases, drinking water, toxic releases, hazardous wastes, water discharge permits, brownfield, and Superfund sites. Select a geographic area within EnviroMapper and view the different facilities that are present within that area. Create maps at the national, state, and county levels, and link them to environmental text reports. You can even insert dynamically created maps in your own web pages.

Envirofacts
This website provides access to several EPA databases to provide you with information about environmental activities that may affect air, water, and land anywhere in the United States. With Envirofacts, you can learn more about these environmental activities in your area or you can generate maps of environmental information.