The Urban Challenge
Why do urban core areas struggle with garbage
management?

There are many answers to this question. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact causes or source of any one problem, in the context of a dynamic and changing neighborhood (socio-geographic area). First, we must recognize the role that residents themselves have in either collaborating with efforts towards improvement and seeking cooperation from all members of the community, or remaining separate from or antagonistic towards those who try to promote change. However, the social dynamic is closely woven to the structural and economic problems that exist. We cannot easily separate poor housing quality and general neglect of streets, homes and apartments, parks, etc., from the presence of litter and garbage, illegal dumping, and rats.

We could say that the frequent occurrence of drug dealing, for example, might allow an illegal dumping problem to go unaddressed. As mentioned above, when residents are affected by a variety of more immediate concerns, garbage may not enter the priority list. This goes for the City as well, which theoretically funnels its resources to the most pressing problems. The exception might be when a rat infestation occurs, in which case garbage problems become higher profile.

Neighborhood Stability and Demographics

Another factor that probably makes garbage management, along with general neighborhood management, more difficult, is the high transience rate and low owner-occupancy rate among residents in many urban core neighborhoods. In parts of Providence, for example, residents move between apartments as frequently as every few months, and owner-occupancy rates vary between 19% and 25%. A more stable neighborhood might have owner-occupancy rates around 60%. In these transient neighborhoods, there is less stability and less sense of neighborhood cohesion or ownership of space, especially public space. (Map Showing High Transience Rates).

Residents may not feel comfortable speaking to their neighbors about garbage. Or a resident may not have access to a garbage can at their new address. Or perhaps the landlords do not bother to outline for new tenants exactly what their responsibilities for garbage management are. There could also be a language or generation barrier between new neighbors, or between the fixed and transient residents.

Demographics

In Providence, the urban core neighborhoods are extraordinarily diverse. (Chart and Map of Diversity in Providence). There is a large, recent immigrant population - residents have come from different cultures, social classes, and educational levels all over the globe. When it comes to recycling or where to put household trash, the wide diversity in people means that everyone might have different ideas regarding these habits. Some people may have never had curbside garbage pickup or any regular schedule that they must follow to dispose of trash. Others may not like the idea of storing trash or recycling for a whole week between pickups.

Additionally, educational materials produced by the city or the recycling facility, for example, might not be linguistically or culturally appropriate for this diverse, urban audience. Even when communications are produced in Spanish and English, other common languages are not represented. The diverse demography of the urban core makes it more difficult for the City to communicate with residents about good garbage management.
For a summary of the entities responsible for communicating to residents, click here.

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