OLNEYVILLE SITE

This type of medical facility is very necessary and relevant, especially in the under-invested, low-income, and mixed-cultural neighborhoods. In fact, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native people had an age-adjusted COVID-19 hospitalization rate about 5.3 times that of non-Hispanic white people. COVID-19 hospitalization rates among non-Hispanic Black people and Hispanic or Latino people were both about 4.7 times the rate of non-Hispanic white people”.⁴

There are many objective reasons for the surprising data. Firstly, most households living in these low-income areas are more crowded with smaller houses and fewer rooms, which is against the principles of social distancing. Furthermore, these areas often have lower density of green and open spaces. The next reason is related to the types of job. These residents usually work in jobs that require more frequent physical contacts and fewer opportunities to work remotely. Therefore, by protecting them, the spread of viruses can also be slowed down considerably in general. Lastly, the ability to access healthcare is also a rising issue. “In 2017, according to the CDC only about 6% of non-Hispanic white people were uninsured, while the rate was nearly# 18% for Hispanics and 10% for non-Hispanic Black people”.⁴

In Providence, there are some potential areas, namely Olneyville, Lower South Providence, Washington Park, Elmwood and East Providence. However, despite other similar features, Olneyville, a former industrial building area, has affected its existing urban arrangement and architecture. In addition, it has a special location which is separated from other parts of the city due to the highway system. As a result, Olneyville’s location causes many rising issues related to urban planning, traffic system, and the potential development of healthcare networks.

In fact, Olneyville, which was once a mid-19th century industrial center, is now known as a diverse, low-income neighborhood located on the westside of Providence. There are 63.9% Hispanic; 16.5% white; 11.4% black; 2.4% Asian and 5.8% other ⁵. Moreover, its median household income is the second lowest of the city, which is only approximately $23,200/year/person, well below the citywide average of $37,400/year/person ⁴. A site of urban redevelopment, the economy and the population of Olneyville has undergone change. After World War II and the highway network construction, the economy and populations significantly decreased 6. At the end of the last century, there was a redevelopment in Olneyville where many artists started storing their collectives in former warehouses and mill buildings ⁶. Since the early 2000s, more developers have bought many vacant lots and abandoned buildings in order to rejuvenate area ⁶. As a result, its population is now about 9,663, ⁷ compared to 6,495 in the 2000 US Census ⁶.

Redevelopments have helped create more significant means for improving all aspects of the neighborhood. However, the area surrounding Olneyville Square remains low-density. Its population density is 9,184 per mile square, compared to about 16,000 per mile square of the average population density of the upper residential areas of Oneyville ⁵. It also lacks some public services such as local healthcare facilities. Therefore, there are opportunities for design intervention like public health clinics to play a significant supportive role in the neighborhood redevelopment process. With better healthcare facilities, living standards improve attracting businesses and new residents.