RISD Transportation Management Plan

The visual and easy-to-read plan presents a menu of strategies to improve the transportation experience for all who travel to, from, and within the RISD campus.

While RISD’s central location within Providence presents a constrained environment for growth, it also creates natural opportunities for campus affiliates to have many travel choices. Public transit, bikeshare, and numerous private shuttles operate within reach of RISD’s already walkable campus. However, parking facilities have been oversubscribed, and new solutions were needed to address how these assets are impacted by the Campus Master Plan’s growth program. Nelson\Nygaard brought a holistic approach to RISD’s challenges, looking at ways to incentivize alternatives to driving alone. These cost-conscious recommendations would help RISD meet its sustainability goals, improve safety, and help create a campus environment that prioritizes the movement of people over cars.

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of RISD’s parking and transportation system, identifying the key issues and opportunities for all modes of travel. Our rigorous technical analysis was ground-truthed by the experience of users and—gathered through mobile workshops, an online survey, and guidance from a transportation working group representing departments across the university and its local partners.

Our visual and easy-to-read plan presents a menu of strategies to improve the transportation experience for all who travel to, from, and within the RISD campus. Our financial modelling found that, over ten years, it would also save RISD more money investing in alternatives and incentives than it would operating at their current status quo in the long run. When implemented, the proposed transportation management strategies will help RISD address ongoing and future transportation-related challenges while ensuring the institution is able to sustain its competitive reputation as one of the nation’s leading art and design schools.