Conway student projects are available online.
Have you heard about one of our past student projects from a former client? Or wonder whether a project you are working on would benefit from the involvement of a Conway student team, and want to look at some similar examples? Many of our student projects are available to browse online, through the digital publishing company, issuu.com. We have 21 “stacks” of projects, organized by year, term, and theme. You can also access our course catalog and the last 10 years of con’text magazine. Below are some examples of recent student projects that are available – in full – on issuu. This winter, sit back with your tablet and hot cup of cocoa, and peruse some inspiring design solutions to a wide range of design and planning challenges!
The Mt. Tom range, visible for miles around, is an iconic part of the Connecticut River Valley and is a well-known destination for recreation, as well as a home for many rare and endangered species. The Mt. Tom Ecological Assessment seeks to provide a comprehensive view of the Mt. Tom range for the public as well as for conservation professionals. By assessing human and wildlife use of the range, their points of access to it, and ecosystem services, the project attempts to demonstrate the many ways in which the range is connected to the larger landscape around it. The various threats and barriers to human and wildlife use, as well as the environmental impact of human use, are also considered. This information is combined with data showing surrounding lands that are already under conservation to explore opportunities to strengthen existing areas of connectivity and to create new linkages where none currently exist. Project by students Kelly Corbin ’16 and Tia Novak ’16.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Delta Park in Chicopee, Massachusetts was significantly altered by the construction of the Hamden Steam Plant. Although only a few remnants of the electrical plant remain, the industrial legacy remains visible in the land forms on the present-day Brownfield site. This design project, commissioned by the City of Chicopee, lays out a plan to create a public park on this peninsula of land at the confluence of the Connecticut and Chicopee Rivers. The plan includes design elements inspired by the former industrial uses, actions to restore wildlife habitat, and passive recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy this stunning New England floodplain forest. Project by Beth Batchelder ’15 and Rachel Lindsay ’15.
The Valley Railroad State Park Scenic Corridor Study, commissioned by the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (RiverCOG), examines the potential for a multiuse trail along the northern nine miles of the Valley Railroad corridor in south-central Connecticut. Approximately eight miles of the corridor between Tylerville and Maromas, Connecticut, have not been used for rail service since 1968. This report analyzes the regional context and existing conditions along the corridor, and provides conceptual designs and design guidelines for developing a trail, including for a trail that could replace the existing rail and also for a trail that could be built along the rail. This study is one of several to be commissioned by the RiverCOG that will examine the Connecticut Valley Railroad State Park’s role as a regional asset, and how it factors into regional planning efforts related to transportation, conservation, and economic development. Project by Trevor R. Buckley ’14 and Christian Johnson ’14.