Description: In the midst of the current climate (COVID) our orbit has become smaller, but not less valuable. Limitations can bring to the surface observations that would not have been visible before. The familiar paths within the neighborhood hold unnoticed details, questions, and knowledge. Landscapes consist of natural and human shaped relics that mark human values and skills. However, the familiar sometimes feels so known that we stop observing the way new landscapes draw curiosity. Can we unlearn the knowledge that clouds our minds for new thinking? When we aim for a deeper connection with the outer we can also better understand the inner landscape. They are inseparable and by changing one - we shape both. [show more]
Description: According to the University of Hawaii’s Honolulu Climate Change Commission, Oahu is the most at risk from sea-level rise compared to all other Hawaiian islands. By the middle of the century, a report assembled by the commission warned that regular high tide flooding with 3.2ft of local sea-level rise would put 18 miles of coastal road and 4000 settlements at risk (Westfall, 2018).
Description: The Adirondacks is a state park in Upstate New York that encompasses 6 million acres (larger than any National Park). The park contains a Forest Preserve that encompasses 2.6 million acres. The other 3.4 million acres are privately owned land that is regulated by the Adirondack Park Agency.
Description: High number of tourist every summer and the popularity of Bar Harbor are raising the prices of housing on Bar Harbor making it difficult to find affordable houses; especially for people who want to live in Bar Harbor year round, as the incentives to rent out housing to tourists are high. To understand better how to tackle this housing crisis it is important to understand the housing situation in Bar Harbor better, to later be able to find the right locations for future housing development. [show more]
Description: The history of the trail system on Mount Desert Island is complex, dense, and vast. There were many people who were vital to the creation of the hundreds of trails that exist and have existed on Mount Desert Island. Both organizations and individuals contributed to the planning, building, and maintenance of the trails that make up Acadia National Park.
Description: Mother's Day, May 10, 2020. 40 degrees Fahrenheit, 25 mph wind. Our walk at Stone Barn Farm. Stone Barn Farm in the foreground, Peggy Rockefeller Farm in the background.
Description: Nynke's project included conversations with community members and leaders, fieldwork to find abandoned paths, designs of multi-use paths, and map-making in GIS. This project flowed out of an earlier class focused on Active Transportation (Bicycle and Pedestrian) in Bar Harbor in the Spring of 2022. However, this project is not supposed to be about me; I am far from a neutral player that collected information to revitalize Active Transportation advocacy on MDI. [show more]