Architecture Program
Date of this Version
May 2005
Abstract
The project is a proposed design for a pedestrian bridge crossing the Missouri River between Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa. In conjunction with the bridge, an urban pathway that has strip retail and gathering spots over the river and an urban design connecting the bridge with the urban environment of Omaha are also proposed. The existing trail systems in Nebraska and Iowa have no connection linking the two states and no safe way for pedestrians to cross the Missouri River. Omaha and Council Bluffs have been trying to bring life back into their downtowns, and the bridge provides opportunities to attract tourists and more business to the areas. There is also an opportunity to make a unique architectural statement that few cities have the chance to make (such as St. Louis and Saarinen’s Arch). Too often bridges are designed solely for the access of the automobile with no access for the pedestrians. Typically, a bridge is only a path to be crossed with little thought as to its architectural design and effect on the built environment. This project is intended to break these boundaries and challenge the notion of a typical bridge so that the bridge itself becomes a destination and a point of interest. Mentor: Sharon Baum Kuska
Comments
M. Arch. thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, May 2005