Walking in Providence. Booking now. Free.

On 4th and 5th May 2019, staff and students at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University will lead an arduous, 2-day, 20-mile collaborative walk through all 25 of Providence’s neighborhoods, in which the “route” is mapped by strangers in the street.

How does it work? The walkers will meet once on 1st May, to pick the locations throughout the city that they would like to hit over the two days. On Saturday, 4th May, the group will set out and will ask passers-by for the best route to their location based on specific questions, like “What is the route that bypasses particular places that have meaning to you or your community?” or “What is the ugliest route we can take and why is it so ugly?” The walk will be shaped by people in the streets — some may even join in for part or all of the day. The route, generative questions and some information about each route-giver will be recorded, and a map will be produced at the end of the weekend.