Moving Forward in Cascade

THE PROJECT

Teams of faculty and students from several disciplines in the College of Art and Architecture and the Building Sustainable Communities strategic initiative are collaborating with partners across the university and off campus to explore planning and design opportunities for Cascade, Idaho, a small rural community located along the Payette River near Lake Cascade, only 62.9 miles north of Boise, Idaho.

The multi-project initiative is a follow-up to Cascade’s participation in Horizons, a Northwest Area Foundation program that is aimed at reducing social and financial poverty in rural communities and towns across a nine state geographic area. The program at the University of Idaho is directed, managed and facilitated by the University of Idaho Extension Community Development program.

As part of Horizons, citizens engaged in a multi-tiered process that culminated in a community vision rally and vision launch, where citizens developed a set of goals, vision and action plan to revitalize Cascade and help the city move forward during economic downturns.

Building on this effort, more than 60 students in landscape architecture, architecture, and bioregional planning and community design are working seamlessly together with Cascade’s civic leaders, youth and residents to develop visionary feasible design plans that will explore opportunities, understand impact, and translate new futures and possibilities.

Studio projects include:

• Design development and master plans for a 2.5-mile river park that will feature a kayaking whitewater rapids park.
• Concepts for bioregional land use and the development of a bioregional atlas for Cascade and Valley County bioregion.
• Community design concepts involving green infrastructure, community wellness, civic architecture and affordable housing.
• Master plans for future development of the east and west sides of the Payette River.
• Explorations of the larger ramifications of local growth in context of bioregional development.
• Investigating utopian models for development and managing complex layers of issues regarding growth and development; and applying these ideals in creating plans for Cascade’s visual, cultural, and environmental landscape in some of the most sensitive areas of potential development.

THE GOALS

• Further the intent and purpose of the community’s Horizon efforts to the next level of engagement.
• Advance and sustain the university-community partnership where learning, scholarship, engagement and mutual benefit occur.
• Understand the complexity of planning and design problems and their cultural, environmental, economic, and political characteristics and impacts.
• Identify stakeholders, project goals, long- and short-term visions, and project parameters and program.
• Develop participatory approach to design and planning throughout the process.
• Connect theory with practice.
• Create a synergy among community members and help generate new responsive ideas for planning and growth.
• Enhance the long-term vitality and sustainability of the Cascade community while facilitating exceptional hands-on learning and research opportunities for students and faculty.
• Enhance the already established protocols of community-university engagement and participatory process, and develop scenarios for diverse effective prototypes for future university involvement in community planning and other meaningful outreach.

THE PEOPLE

Faculty
Barbara Bromley-Brody, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Idaho Extension, Valley County
Stephen Drown, Landscape Architecture, College of Art and Architecture
Gary Austin, Landscape Architecture, College of Art and Architecture
Rula Awwad-Rafferty, Landscape Architecture, and Bioregional Planning & Community Design , College of Art and Architecture
Elizabeth Graff, Landscape Architecture, College of Art and Architecture
Wendy McClure, Architecture, College of Art and Architecture
Donna Plunkett, Landscape Architecture, College of Art and Architecture
Tamara Laninga, Bioregional Planning & Community Design, College of Natural Resources

Students
Landscape Architecture Design Studio 456/457
Architecture Design Studio 453
Landscape Architecture Design Studio 356
Landscape Architecture 357
Landscape Architecture 560
Conservation Social Sciences 504

Partners
College of Art and Architecture (Landscape Architecture and Architecture)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
College of Natural Resources
College of Business and Economics
Horizons, University of Idaho Extension, Valley County
Building Sustainable Communities Initiative
ASUI Center for Volunteerism and Social Action
Citizens of Cascade
Cascade City Council and Mayor
Valley County Commissioners
Cascade-area business owners and developers
Cascade Youth and interested youth leaders/ volunteers/extension mentees from Cascade High school