Reclaiming Evansville : [an honors thesis (HONRS 499)]

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Authors
Barth, Bram M.
Advisor
Cairns, Malcolm D.
Issue Date
2005
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (B.?.)
Department
Honors College
Other Identifiers
Abstract

The project objective is to explore LANDSCAPE RECLAMATION with a focus on RESTORATION, EDUCATION, and SUSTAINABILITY while using BROWNFIELDS as the place-type setting. This study explores each topic individually and attempts to synthesize discovered research material in a manner that not only promotes the development of good design but also improves the passage of information to future generations. The selected site is a 20-acre collection of land parcels located in Evansville, Indiana along the Ohio River. Only one of these parcels, General Waste Products, Inc., has been officially deemed a brownfield, but past land use of other parcels supports the argument for similar classifications throughout. Following the assumption that remediation has already taken place, the project focuses on the establishment of a triangulation of nodes that explores Evansville's relationship to the Ohio River and Pigeon Creek both culturally and environmentally. While certain aspects of the design promote active learning, a major project goal involves establishing a setting thatcleverly reveals the character of the site to only the most observant of visitors. Another focus of equal importance is establishing a functional setting by which the natural process of the river and creek can be monitored and utilized to draw scientific conclusions. The ultimate goal of the project, however, is to instill a sense of pride in residents that this landscape is a special place unique only to Evansville, both in its cultural history and natural processes.