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Thesis Background

The Urban Challenge

In Providence, RI

Case Study: Smith Hill neighborhood

Conclusions and Recommendations

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Jessica Intrator
Center for Environmental Studies, Brown University

Last Updated 5/11/02
Talking about garbage, rats, recycling

Where do Providence residents, especially urban core
residents, get their information?

Listed below are several entities, or stakeholder groups, that disseminate this information. In addition to those listed, residents get information from community resources, such as churches and schools, as well as from TV.
Informal social networks - friends talking to friends, family, and neighbors - are probably the most powerful way that information gets passed along. It is only when a "buzz" is created by a large number of people sharing ideas or encouraging change that habits such as recycling or garbage management change on a large scale.

Providence Context

Garbage and Recycling

Ordinance and Violations

Stakeholders and Communication
RIRRC: Rhode Island Resource Recovery, the agency responsible for Rhode Island's waste disposal at the Johnston landfill and for the Maximum Recycling program, has promoted recycling through a series of TV ads, as well as brochures and kitchen magnets distributed to all residencies at the start of the program. (Examples of RIRRC's informational pamphlets).

CDCs and NGOs: There are various community development corporations (CDCs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that carry out educational campaigning on the community level. Often, these efforts take place by using neighborhood networks of residents who have agreed to talk to their neighbors.Two examples of organizations that use neighborhood networks are the Elmwood Foundation, which disperses information and programs through the Elmwood neighborhood street captains, and Groundwork Providence, a non-profit organization that coordinates recycling education through a citywide network of recycling captains, as well as a variety of other programs. In Smith Hill, my case study neighborhood, the Smith Hill Community Development Corporation (tel. 401-521-0159) actively promotes education for good garbage management amongst its tenants and in the neighborhood.

DPW: The Department of Public Works is responsible for enforcing environmental, garbage-related codes. Therefore, it is also their responsibility to inform residents of the codes that will be enforced. The DPW uses a number of means to do this, including mailings to residencies, public service announcements in local newspapers, radio, and television, and recently, by way of their website. In past years, the DPW has put out various flyers addressing garbage, and especially rats.

Landlords: When it comes to landlords and their tenants, it is not clear how much communication takes place regarding garbage management. Probably it varies according to landlord - some might provide containers for tenants with clear instructions for use, while others may never bother to even inform tenants when garbage and recycling pickup is, or if they need to provide their own containers. This might ultimately lead to confusion, especially amongst tenants, in terms of how much responsibility they have to keep garbage contained, to clear debris or litter, or get recycling bins.