IDRO Friday Research Seminar

Traveling the Mississippi River to Explore its Urban-Rural Systems Challenges

Ulrike Passe

The Mississippi River Basin experiences a variety of challenges, from flooding to urban sprawl to nutrient runoff. A team of researchers from Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee and Louisiana, led by architecture professor Ulrike Passe, has been funded by the National Science Foundation to develop a Research Coordination Network, which will examine how these issues are connected and affect the environmental conditions of cities, suburban areas and rural areas — and the people living there.

Teams of researchers and community stakeholders will focus on five regional metropolitan areas within the Mississippi River Basin — Minneapolis/St. Paul; Dubuque and Davenport, Iowa; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana — and their satellite communities and adjacent rural areas.

In fall 2022, Passe traveled the Mississippi River from the headwaters to New Orleans, to experience the various conditions and meet with collaborators, stakeholder, and residents. During this seminar, she will present a travel report and introduce the network goals.

Part of the Friday Research Seminar Series sponsored by the Institute for Design Research and Outreach, this event will be held in person in room 130 Design.