Great American Rail-Trail: Mappings & Folksongs

This studio course will explore trail & greenway design at multiple scales. The Great American Rail-Trail project is transcontinental in scope. A path of this magnitude transects cultural and ecological contexts. Mapping is how we situate the trail within the larger landscape; folksongs are expressions of place and time.
Central to this studio is the idea that a trail corridor can be more than a recreational path. A multifunctional trail corridor can play a catalytic role in reshaping urban fabric and rural landscape alike. A multifunctional trail corridor can create new relationships — economic, cultural, and ecological — within and between communities.
The studio will build on research in the fields of landscape ecology, active transportation, & placemaking. We’ll travel to and engage with communities in Boone County, where the Great American follows the High Trestle Trail. A field study to Washington DC will examine trail-oriented design in multiple contexts.
Course credits: | 6 |
Meeting days and times: | Monday / Wednesday / Friday, 1:10 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. |
Variable course fee: | $25 – $750 |
Field studies: | Washington, D.C. (TBD) |
Maximum enrollment: | 18 |
Enrollment open to: | All seniors and graduate students in all Iowa State University majors |
- Civic Innovation
- Good health and well-being
- Decent work and economic growth
- Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
- Sustainable cities and communities
- Responsible consumption and production
- Climate action
- Life on land
Learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals