"erikatarte:  From ""Public Transportation"" to ""Community Transportation"", how the adaptive reuse of a public transportation system can solve pressing social problems The Grocery Loop is an innovative design solution to a pressing social problem. Built on the cost-effective and environmentally friendly model of adaptive reuse, The Grocery Loop is a public transportation system that provides access to nutrition while encouraging community engagement and promoting environmental sustainability.  Providence and many other cities are what Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign calls a ""food desert"" — places where access to affordable, quality, and nutritious foods is limited. Over 30,000 households in the city of Providence live without easy access to healthy food (living over one mile from a grocery store) and although this presents an opportunity to encourage non-vehicular transportation, such a solution neglects many physical and financial limitations Ocean State residents face.  Unfortunately, the existing public transportation system leaves much to be desired. In a 2010 survey our The Grocery Loop conducted of a cross-section of the current RIPTA ridership, interviews revealed widespread frustration with linear routes, the impracticality of riding multiple routes to visit multiple grocery stores, and the lack of proper amenities for transporting food on buses and at bus shelters. Riders favored looping routes, such as the existing Trolley, and expressed a desire for accurate schedules and comprehensive route maps.  Above: Bus stops with inadequate signage, shelters, and seating are a common sight on existing RIPTA  routes.  Above: Without a comprehensive system map or interactive way to plan your trip, using the current RIPTA system can be difficult and intimidating. The Grocery Loop integrates amenity-based bus lines into the existing Rhode Island public transportation system (RIPTA). These low-emission, hybrid diesel buses run in a continuous loop stopping at a diverse selection of stores — from farmers markets, to specialty shops, to large grocery stores. Both buses and bus shelters provide seating and storage optimized for transporting food. Real-time GPS tracking information is displayed to keep riders informed of arrivals and departures. Once riders are on The Grocery Loop, they know exactly where they're going: to the grocery store.  The Grocery Loop empowers riders to take food and nutrition into their won hands. Attentive to the evolving needs of the ridership, The Grocery Loop's routes are informed by rider feedback. The Grocery Loop buses and website give riders the opportunity to suggest routes and schedules that fit into their busy lifestyle. Additionally, The Grocery Loop website allows riders to share recipes, generate grocery lists, suggest and review grocery stores, and connect to their fellow riders through social networking services.   The web and mobile components of The Grocery Loop provide an incredible opportunity to connect Rhode Islanders to additional resources about health and nutrition. By creating an engaging online presence, The Grocery Loop aims to keep riders ""in the loop"" of healthful resources throughout Rhode Island. This project has received the generous support of RISD with the award of a prestigious Graduate Studies Grant. The grant period allows for further design and development of The Grocery Loop's website, including key social networking and social media outreach components. A public outreach campaign to generate community interest and to organize community support will begin this Fall. The Grocery Loop is also participating in this year's Better World Challenge at the A Better World by Design conference, which begins tomorrow in Providence, RI. This year's challenge asked designers to tackle issues relating to urban food desserts. It will be exciting to see the spectrum of solutions other groups have proposed. The Grocery Loop is an ongoing collaborative project by Lindsay Kinkade, Erika Tarte, and Beth Weaver."
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