An aerial view of downtown Providence shows the structure of the built environment prior to the removal of the I-195 corridor. The removal of the interstate has freed up 19.2 acres of land in downtown Providence. The GKD team sought to measure energy flows, environmental conditions, and traffic patterns in this area to understand existing environmental conditions and to promote more sustainable development of the area.
The proposed Knowledge District in downtown Providence spans various neighborhoods including the historic Jewelry District and "downcity" Providence. While the GKD team has since disbanded, the original goal of the team was to promote sustainable urban development in this area.
GREENING of the
KNOWLEDGE DISTRICT
A collaborative ethnographic examination of efforts to create of an enironmentally-sustainable "Knowledge District" in downtown Providence, RI. The project was known as the "Greening of the Knowledge District" (or GKD) project.
For this study, we conducted six months of ethnographic fieldwork, including 50+ hours of participant observation and several semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in the GKD project. Ethnographic field data was paired with system mapping of the greater Providence, RI urban development field to identify relevant connections and patterns shaping the GKD project process.
A final report with recommendations for enhancing group impact was developed and presented to the GKD project team in the fall of 2011.