Past tours have explored topics such as the following. These and other topics are available for the academic year.

Join us for a guided walking tour of the Olneyville neighborhood, with a special focus on Manton Avenue and the Jasline Community Center. Led by long-time resident and community leader Jose Rodriguez, this tour will explore the layered stories of these communities, from displacement and gentrification to resilience and celebration.

Get to know the community voices, beloved gathering spaces and local businesses that shape the neighborhood's heartbeat. Learn about the history of change through Jose’s personal reflections and connect to the people and places that continue to uplift and strengthen the fabric of community life. Because what is a neighborhood without its residents?

A joint walking tour with community members, Brown and Providence College as we connect on the rich history of Smith Hill, a vibrant Providence neighborhood just north of downtown and steps from Providence College. Home to 6,800 residents within a single square mile, this historic hilltop community has long been shaped by its people and their stories. Join us as we meet at The Smith Hill Library and listen to stories that reflect an important part of its past, offering a glimpse into the spirit of Smith Hill—a place where community truly matters.

Led by DownCity Design, this walking tour explores a community design studio where Providence youth imagine and build a bright future. Through free after-school and summer programs, local teens learn design and fabrication skills while creating real, lasting improvements for their neighborhoods. Since its founding, DownCity Design has engaged more than 3,500 young people in the collaborative creation of over 125 permanent public amenities across Providence—including community gardens, outdoor classrooms for public schools and playful structures in local parks.

On this tour, you’ll step inside a well-established community design studio and learn how the tools of design are used to empower youth, strengthen neighborhoods and transform public spaces. Learn how DownCity Design builds community by design, connects with local assets and supports young people in turning big ideas into tangible change.

Join the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council for a one-hour walking tour of the greenway in Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood. Explore the Woonasquatucket River’s 19-mile journey from North Smithfield to Downtown Providence and get a glimpse of how human activity shapes its ecology. Learn about the WRWC’s efforts to restore post-industrial land, improve water quality and create an urban wildlife corridor. Along the way, we’ll discuss the impact of urban development on the river and the importance of connecting residents to the natural spaces in their backyard. 

Step into the heart of Olneyville and explore the resilience of the community on this engaging walking tour.

We’ll begin at Atlantic Mills—a site with deep roots in industrial labor and a rich history of cultural activity. From there, we’ll learn about the work of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA) and its efforts to resist gentrification and displacement.

Along the way, we’ll meet Eliza Squibb, a textile designer with WARP Collective, who partners with healthcare workers, artists and artisans to create fabrics that communicate vital health information to communities facing language and literacy barriers. Her work merges art and science to advance health equity.

Through stories of grassroots activism, immigration defense, tenant organizing and creative expression, we’ll see how local organizations and artists are working to shape a just and inclusive future for Olneyville.