01
01 Background
The Interactive Qualifying Project, or IQP, is a project at WPI that exposes students to communities at large in different social contexts. Its purpose is to enrich the students as they aid a social need.
Our team conducted a cost-benefit analysis of revitalizing the Blackstone Canal in Worcester, Massachusetts. We assessed both restoration and replication options by interviewing stakeholders including urban planners, civil engineers, local politicians, and professionals in tourism, economic development, and public works.
Harding Street, where the Blackstone Canal once ran through Worcester.
Harding Street, Former Blackstone Canal
02
02 Student Researchers
Robert Crimmins — WPI junior, double major in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Robotics Engineering.
John Messier — WPI junior, Mechanical Engineering.
Daniel Ouellette — WPI junior, Chemical Engineering.
Nicholaus Spunar — WPI junior, Mechanical Engineering.
03
03 Project Sponsor
The Blackstone Canal District Alliance (BCDA) is a nonprofit community organization established in 2003. The organization oversees streetscape improvements and hosts Canalfest annually. Their primary mission focuses on restoring the Blackstone Canal where it ran under Harding Street from Union Station to create a mixed-use neighborhood destination with residential, commercial, and entertainment components.
04
04 Goals and Objectives
Our team established five core objectives for the cost-benefit analysis:
Objective 1: Identify the stakeholders of a Blackstone Canal restoration or replication, including decision makers such as urban planners, civil engineers, and local politicians, as well as knowledgeable professionals in tourism, economic development, and public works.
Objective 2: Identify associated costs and benefits of a restoration of the Blackstone Canal, covering materials, labor, and equipment through interviews with civil engineers, urban planners, and Department of Public Works representatives.
Objective 3: Identify associated costs and benefits of a replication of the Blackstone Canal by interviewing professionals in urban planning, civil engineering, public works, economic development, and tourism.
Objective 4: Compare anticipated costs and benefits of the Blackstone Canal revitalization with costs and benefits of similar waterway revitalization projects by researching economic impact reports and conducting interviews with engineers and planners in Worcester and other cities.
Objective 5: Develop a recommendation for the most beneficial revitalization effort, determining which option would prove more cost effective to undertake based on the gathered data.