Legacy Crossing: A Town/Gown Community Vision

Professor Emeritus of Architecture

Abstract

As early as 1908, the Olmsted Brothers advised the University of Idaho to move closer to and become a part of the city of Moscow. Cost and the regional railroad yard were often impediments to this town-gown relationship. Recent railroad abandonments have now made this vision more attainable. During the last 20 years, students of the College of Art and Architecture, developers and city planning offices have grown to see the potential of this once industrial site. Incisive student work in 2007 (illustrated above), supported by the city’s planning efforts, have turned this one-time industrial area into a grand dream and potential for city and university. This presentation will illustrate both the potential of this site as well as the useful ways in which students of the academy and real-life planning can mesh in productive ways.

Biography

D. Nels Reese taught in the UI’s Department of Architecture from 1987 to 2008. His academic work was focused on urban planning and architectural design. Previous to his teaching role, Reese served as director of Facility Planning at the university for seven years. Along with urban planning, he taught architectural graphics, history of American architecture, and American Studies. Reese received his master’s degree in urban planning from the City College of New York, where he studied with Jonathan Barnett, a noted professor of urban design. In 1992-93, Reese worked on the Bronx Center Project, which was published and shown in the national exhibition, “Urban Revisions for the Public Realm.” He also studied urban models based on the neighborhoods of New York City and led a number of study-related field trips to the Big Apple. Reese has been a member of the Moscow Planning and Zoning Commission for 18 years and concurrently serves on the Moscow Historic Preservation Commission, where he was chair for four years.