FROM RAIL TOWN TO TRAIL TOWN:
SCHOOL
UNDERPASSES EXAMINING INHERITED CENTRAL BUSINESS SPACE & PLACE DISTRICT ELEVATOR ALONG MIDWESTERN RAIL TRAILS DEPOT
HOTEL
INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
STOCK YARD
SWITCHING YARD AUSTIN DUNN MADRID, IA 1951 MOTIVATIONS
BACKGROUND & CONTEXT RAILS TO TRAILS TRAIL TOWNS PLACEMAKING
A TYPOLOGY OF TRAIL GEOGRAPHIES
A TYPOLOGY OF SPACES & STRUCTURES
CASE STUDIES ROCHEPORT MO - KATY TRAIL MADRID IA - HIGH TRESTLE TRAIL LANESBORO MN - ROOT RIVER TRAIL
REPLICABLE STRATEGIES
SO WHAT TRANSPORTATION & EFFICIENCY Calories per Gram perCalories per Kilometer Gram
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/05/oh-so-efficient-bicycle.html INTIMACY MAY 15th, 2017 Booneville, MO GOOD
ALSO GOOD
NOT GOOD
1,300 MILES OF MIDWEST GLORY AN UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN GREENWAY SYSTEM MIDWEST HISTORICAL RAILROADS 40 mi 1850-PRESENT CENTRAL IOWA
ACTIVE & ABANDONED LINES 40 mi BOONE MARSHALLTOWN AMES
HIGH TRESTLE TRAIL
DES MOINES METRO
INDIANOLA 10 mi CENTRAL IOWA TRAIL SYSTEM 10 mi AMES
MADRID SLATER
WOODWARD HIGH TRESTLE PERRY BRIDGE
ANKENY MINBURN MADRID
HIGH TRESTLE BRIDGE
WOODWARD 50,000 VISITORS ANNUALLY BENTON MACKAYE An Appalacian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning 1924 Orleans Sibley Spirit Lake McIntire Milford Riceville Cresco RidgewayDecorah Elma Alta Vista Calmar Primghar Orange Charles City City Clermont Sheffield Laurens Bradgate Belmond Sumner Elkader Rolfe Tripoli Rutland Clarksville Hampton Allison Waverly Readlyn Humboldt Coulter Storm Thor Shell Rock Denver Sioux Lake Hazleton Sageville City Waterloo Sageville Fort Dodge Correctionville Cedar Falls Independence Dyersville Dubuque Sergeant Bluff Rockwell Farley Grundy Hudson Lake City Eldora Center La Porte City View Lohrville Hubbard Bellevue Urbana Breda Story Conrad City Zearing Gladbrook Dysart Vinton Center Point Carroll Garrison Robins Springville Spragueville Marshalltown Marion Jefferson Ames Olin Toledo Cedar Mount Rhodes Tama Jamaica Madrid Huxley Rapids Vernon Clinton Perry Sheldahl Baxter Solon Camanche Yale Minburn Ankeny Mingo Long Grove Audubon Iowa West Panora Johnston Valeria Eldridge Linden Urbandale Altoona City Branch Exira Pleasant Hill Bettendorf Adel Waukee Riverdale Shelby Brayton Des Moines Davenport West Carlisle Riverside Muscatine Atlantic Des Moines Indianola Keota Conesville Oakland Council Washington Columbus Bluffs Junction Silver City Morning Sun Malvern Afton Chariton Albia Ottumwa Fairfield Stanton Albia Imogene Derby Eldon Humeston Shenandoah Diagonal Burlington Mount Ayr Leon Centerville Keosauqua Coin Donnellson Blanchard Lamoni
Abandoned Rail Rail-Trail Rail-Trail Towns 30 mi What has been left behind by the railroad?
How can it be transformed into places for people on trails? RAILS TO TRAILS
National Trails System Act (NTSA) & Railbanking
Nationally: 23,429 miles & counting
Back-door access to cities and ecosystems
Fink et al. 2001 TRAIL TOWNS
Benton Mackaye & the Appalachian Trail
Rural Revitalization
Tourism & Economic Development
Booneville
Rocheport
Portland
Field sketches of rail-trail towns along the Katy Trail
Mokane KEY ELEMENTS OF A TRAIL TOWN (Allegheny Trail Alliance):
TRAILHEAD: access to the trail. PORTAL: point at which user exits the trail with intent of visiting community. PATHWAY: corridor between Portal and Center. Tebbets GATEWAY: enterance to the community. CENTER: central business district; hub for goods and services NODES: points of interest Jefferson City PLACEMAKING
Space & place (Agnew 2011)
“Each place only happens once” (Schneekloth & Shibley 1995)
Rail-trails as placemaking
Field sketch of rail-trail town along the Katy Trail What has been left behind by the railroad? How can it be transformed into places for people on trails?
A TYPOLOGICAL APPROACH TO
TRAIL-TOWN GEOGRAPHY
SPACES AND STRUCTURES A TYPOLOGY OF TRAIL-TOWN GEOGRAPHY
(ATA 2005) REMOVED TRAIL ALIGNMENT infrastructure to connect town & trail signage in lieu of visual connection
Heritage Trail
Farley, IA ADJACENT TRAIL ALIGNMENT
infrastructure connections (on or off road) visual permeability trail-side development
Rocheport, MO
Katy Trail INTERNAL TRAIL ALIGNMENT clearly marked infrastructure vehicular conflict encourage dismouting from bicycle
Root River Trail
Lanesboro, MN A TYPOLOGY OF STRUCTURES AND SPACES
RADICAL DEPOTS BRIDGES GRADING
GRAIN YARDS TUNNELS & ELEVATORS UNDERPASSES RADICAL GRADING
root river trail DEPOTS
Consistent parkitecture on the Katy Trail
Gothic Revival style
http://www.lakesnwoods.com/LanesboroGallery.htm LANESBORO DEPOT LANESBORO VISITOR CENTER BRIDGES GRAIN ELEVATORS YARDS
https://theperrynews.com/solar-and-wind-energy-economic-development-spur-perry-annexations-rezoning/ TUNNELS & UNDERPASSES A CASE STUDY APPROACH
The value of case studies is their ability to
“retain holistic and meaningful characteristics of real life situations”
Yin 1994 What is a successful rail trail town? One indicator: THE BIKE SHOP MIDWESTERN RAIL-TRAILS EXPLORED
Summer 2017 Bike Tour Outside of Bike Tour
Katy Trail (MO) Illinois Prairie Path (IL) Great River Trail (IL) Military Ridge State Trail (WI) Heritage Trail (IA) Wabash Trace Nature Trail (IA) Great River State Trail (WI) High Trestle Trail (IA) Cannon Valley Trail (MN) Heart of Iowa Nature Trail (IA) Midtown Greenway (MN) Chichaqua Valley Trail (IA) Chippewa River Trail (WI) Raccoon River Valley Trail (IA) Red Cedar Trail (WI) Trestle to Trestle Trail (IA) Buffalo River State Park Trail (WI) Great Western Trail (IA) Root River State Trail (MN) Gay Lea Wilson Trail (IA) Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail (MN) Summerset Trail (IA) CASE STUDIES
Lanesboro, MN Root River Trail
Madrid, IA High Trestle Trail
Rocheport, MO Katy Trail
Inset maps via OpenStreetMap. Other map data via Iowa DNR, Missouri State Parks, and Minnesota Geospatial Commons QUICK FACTS
Rocheport, MO Madrid, IA Lanesboro, MN Katy Trail High Trestle Trail Root River Trail
Founded 1825 1883 1869
Southern Minnesota Missouri-Kansas-Texas Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Railroad Railroad; Chicago, Mil- Railroad Paul Railroad waukee, St. Paul Railroad
Trail Constructed 1989 2003 ~1985
User Count 35,000 /yr 48,653 /yr 86,000 /yr
Surface Type Crushed limestone Concrete Asphalt
Minnesota Department of Natural Missouri State Parks; Rocheport MO City of Madrid, Dallas/Boone County Resources; Lanesboro Chamber of Key Players & Bed and Breakfast Association; City of conservation, Iowa Natural Heritage Commerce; Root River Trail Towns, Jurisdictions Rocheport; Friends of the Katy Trail Foundation; Friends of Boone Coun- Inc.; The Lanesboro Heritage Preser- ty Trails vation Commission; City of Lanes- boro BUSINESS DISTRICT
DEPOT
TUNNEL BRIDGE YARD Center Business District Gateway Routes of Engagement ROCHEPORT Trailhead Water Feature Portal Natural Area Nodes
Structure inherited from railroad
Diana Bend Conservation Area to the West Replica depot as trailhead & City Hall
200 ft N Imagery via Moniteau Creek crossing Google Maps Tunnel & Bridge as gateway Switchyards as trail parking
BUSINESS DISTRICT
ELEVATOR
DEPOT YARDS Center Structure inherited Business District from railroad MADRID Gateway Routes of Engagement
Trailhead Water Feature Portal Natural Area Nodes
Underpass: mural on infrastructure
Alleyway portal connects trail to town Quonset hut repurposed as watering hole
Grade separated crossing 20 ft elevation change Grade separated crossing Switchyards as trailhead parking
200 ft Imagery via N MADRID, IA | HIGH TRESTLE TRAIL Google Maps
Path as portal to town
BUSINESS DISTRICT
DEPOT
BRIDGE LANESBORO
4
Grain storage
Depot-style visitor center
4 3
3 Street crossings
1 Structure inherited from railroad
Center 1 Business District Gateway Routes of Engagement Trailhead 200 ft Bridge as gateway Water Feature Portal Imagery via Natural Area Google Maps N Nodes
CASE STUDIES, IN SUM
Rocheport, MO Madrid, IA Lanesboro, MN Katy Trail High Trestle Trail Root River Trail
Proximity to iconic Trail alignment into Historic character bridge and metro area historic downtown Dramatic natural features Trail-side businesses Thriving tourism What works and adaptive reuse of economy Human-scale urban buildings form Natural Features Connections to core
Signage and wayfinding Steep grades between Alignment lacks clarity can improve user town and trail remain a upon entering downtown navigation of spread-out What can barrier assets work better Lacks engagement with Build connection to agriculture-related Develop public spaces adjacent park infrastructure along trail REPLICABLE STRATEGIES
1. COMMISSION ART ON (BIG) INFRASTRUCTURE
2. MAKE CONNECTIONS
3. ESTABLISH VISUAL PERMEABILITY (OR SIGNAGE)
4. PROMOTE ADAPTIVE REUSE
5. CREATE MOMENTS
6. RELATE TO NATURAL RESOURCES DRAMATIC APPEAL “Already basic it can be made spectacular. Here is something to be dramatized.” -Mackaye on the AT
AN UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN GREENWAY SYSTEM REUSE OF INFRASTRUCTURE RURAL REVITALIZATION MEANINGFUL & MEMORABLE PLACES FOR PEOPLE REFERENCES Francis, M. (2001). A case study method for landscape architecture. Landscape Journal, 20(1), 15-29. Agnew, J. (2011). Space and place. Handbook of geographical knowledge, 2011, 316-331. Fleming, Steven. (2012). "Cycle space: Architecture & urban design in the age of the bicycle." Allegheny Trail Alliance. (2005). Trail towns: Capturing trail-based tour- ism. A Guide for communities in Pennsylvania. National Park Service. (1976). National Register of Historic Places Inven- tory - nomination form for Rocheport, MO. https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/ Campbell, C. & Smallenberg, G. (1986). Landscape heritage & community nps-nr/76001108.pdf. change. Vancouver: University of British Columbia. Rails to Trails Conservancy. (2018). Root River State Trail: A Brief Histo- Clay, G. (1980). Close-up: How to read the American city. University of ry. https://www.traillink.com/trail-history/root-river-state-trail/ Chicago Press. Reid, C. (2015). How the bicycle beats evolution and why Steve Jobs was Fronteddu, R. (2000). Place-making at UBC: planning a heritage trail. UBC so taken with this fact. http://www.bikeboom.info/efficiency/ Undergraduate Research, Open Collections. Reps, J. W. (1965). The making of urban America: A history of city plan- Lanesboro Heritage Preservation Commission. (2012). City of Lanes- ning in the United States. Princeton University Press. boro Downtown Preservation Commission Design Guidelines. http:// www.lanesboro-mn.gov/cmsAdmin/uploads/lanesboro-guide- Salamon, S., & Tornatore, J. B. (1994). Territory Contested Through lines-june-2012_001.pdf Property in a Midwestern Post‐Agricultural Community. Rural Sociolo- gy, 59(4), 636-654. LIAA. (2013). Trail Towns - Capturing Trail-Based Tourism: A Manual for Communities in Northern Michigan. Schneekloth, L. H., & Shibley, R. G. (1995). Placemaking: The art and practice of building communities. Wiley. MacKaye, B. (1921). An Appalachian trail: A project in regional planning. American Institute of Architects. Schwieterman, J. P. (2004). When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment (Vol. 2). Truman Missouri State Parks. (2012). Katy Trail Economic Impact Report. Synergy State Univ Press. Group, Pragmatic Research, Inc., James Pona Associates. https://mostate- parks.com/sites/mostateparks/files Katy_Trail_Economic_Impact_Report_ The Progress Fund. (2017). The Trail Town guide: Revitalizing ru- Final.pdf ral communities with bike trail tourism. https://www.trailtowns.org/ wp-content/uploads/2017/10/TrailTownGuide.2.pdf Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota. (2016). 2015 State Trail User Count. https://www.parksandtrails.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-PTC- Trail-Count.pdf
Harkness, T. (1990). Garden from region. The meaning of gardens, 110-19.