Urban Community Resilience and River Restoration Plan for Providence, Rhode Island, USA | 2025

CLIENT TYPE:

University: Conway School of Landscape Design

Municipality: Providence Department of Planning and Development

Design Team: Maramia, Stefan Poost & Reed Bryant

CHALLENGE

The city of Providence, Rhode Island, USA, requested an Urban River Resilience plan for the West River as legacy infrastructure strained to accommodate a changing climate and piecemeal responses to a string of floods left surrounding underresourced neighborhoods at risk. 

APPROACH

Maramia, as part of a graduate student team from the Conway School of Ecological Design, used GIS, on-ground proofing, and community feedback to create an environmental, infrastructural, and societal resilience and risk assessment. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques guided residents, town leadership, and emergency response teams in mapping generational knowledge of the infrastructure, culture, and past flooding events. 

OUTCOME

The detailed assessment led to a design toolkit to be shared with the community as the first stage of a multi-year city planning project to increase community investment, trust, iterative participatory design, and pursue external funding.

DELIVERABLE(S)

A 36-page visual report was shared, highlighting the assessment and design toolkit for ongoing community engagement and funding proposals.