Know Your Neighborhood

Many colleges and universities are embedded within neighborhoods, yet too often operate as detached experts rather than true partners with the communities that host them. Building authentic, reciprocal relationships requires a fundamental shift — from working "in" or "for" communities to working with and alongside them; from transactional engagement to long-term partnership.

Knowing Your Neighborhood is an essential first step toward meaningful community engagement. By taking the time to understand local history, context, and community assets — including the knowledge and expertise of residents — both campus and community members can better see themselves, and each other, within the broader social, political, and cultural landscapes they share. This place-based understanding forms the foundation for neighborly relationships.

Take Action and Connect: This section features community-driven resources to support learning, collaboration, and meaningful relationships between Providence College and its neighboring communities. Use NERLab’s community-campus calendar and small business map to get involved. Explore virtual walking tours, browse neighborhood guides, and engage with tools that reflect community-identified priorities and ongoing initiatives.

PC in Context: Neighborhoods & Political Boundaries

Providence College (PC) is situated within multiple overlapping geographic and political boundaries, as shown on this map. Geographically, the campus lies primarily within the Elmhurst and Wanskuck neighborhoods, with Smith Hill abutting its southeastern edge. Politically, PC is located mostly within Ward 14, though its footprint also intersects with Wards 5 and 12. For a campus like PC, this means it is not an isolated institution — it exists within residential neighborhoods where people live, work, raise families, and build community.

Neighborhood Histories & Community Identity

Explore local resources to learn more about the Elmhurst, Wanskuck, and Smith Hill neighborhoods:

City of Providence Resources:

Neighborhood-Specific Resources:

Elmhurst

Guide to Providence Architecture - Providence Preservation Society

Wanskuck

Guide to Providence Architecture - Providence Preservation Society

Smith Hill

Neighborhood Leadership & Political Representation

“Higher institutions need to identify the leaders in the surrounding community and figure out what they’re passionate about, what their interests are, and what they’re doing for the community, and how you can help them bolster that . . . But it's not just about the people in positions of power, like the elected officials or, you know, the 'stakeholders.' It's also about the people that live in the neighborhood — those who have something to say, who should be heard, and that can make the difference. It's all about the people.”

-Smith Hill/ Ward 12 resident

Connect with the local leaders, representatives, and grassroots organizations serving the Elmhurst, Wanskuck, and Smith Hill communities:

Some Grassroots Organizations

North End Outreach / Chad Brown Alumni Association
Smith Hill Advocacy and Resource Partnership (SHARP)
Smith Hill Partners' Initiative (SHPI) (📩 email Wole Akinbi, aakinbi@half-full.com, to be added to the SHPI listserv.)
Ward 14 Student Housing Task Force
02908 Merchant's Collective