Cultural Geography: The assignment is a 1,500+ word report and at least one graphic that addresses a hypothetical place-making scenario. Completing the assignment below is the only requirement for thi

Cultural Geogr aphy Spring 20 20 20% of Course Grade Midterm Project Directions Introduction The Midterm Project is your opportunity to creatively demonstrate what you have learned so far in this course. The project revolves around a hypothetical scenario that asks you to envision the complete transformation of a historic place — i.e., the writing if a whole new layer onto that place’s palimpsest. Think about what traces you will add, how they will change the meaning of the place to the people who come in contact with it, and how its transformatio n will affect other places and the culture of the community as a whole. Scenario It’s the year 2028. The US EPA has finally finished the environmental cleanup of the old US Steel Duluth Works site in Duluth , Minnesota. This location is what’s known as a brownfield site — one that previously had industrial or large commercial operations that have since been abandoned but left behind contamination requiring cleanup. The plant space is shown in the images below, as it appeared during its heyday, and as it looks from above today. US Steel Plant, early 1900s Cultural Geogr aphy Spring 20 20 20% of Course Grade Prese nt -day US Steel Plant Site, from Google Maps You are working for a landscape architecture firm based in Duluth, Minnesota. The City of Duluth has approached your firm with a request for help deciding what to do with the several hundred acres of now -usable vacant land. The City would like to t urn this space into a place that will be used and cherished by Duluthians. The City Council has asked you for preliminary ideas on how to transform the space while honoring its industrial, cultural, and natural heritage. The site sits on Spirit Lake, less than a mile from Spirit Island, the end point in the westward migration of the Ojibwe (today the island is owned by the Fond du Lac Band). A single set of railroad tracks runs along the water on the east side of the site , and a rail yard borders it on the west side. The land is rolling hills with some barren, rocky areas, fields, savanna -like areas of scattered trees, forest, small streams, and wetlands. A few old roadways are still passable, though not paved or maintained. The re are two nearby historic neighborhoods. The neighborhood of Morgan Park , north of the site, was once a company town for white US Steel employees ; most of its architecturally unique small apartment bui ldings and houses are still in use. T he neighborhood of Gary -New Duluth , across the railyards to the south and west, was home to many black and immigrant steelworke rs and today maintains a strong sense of neighborhood identity. The City Council has decided that since this is just a preliminary brainstorm, you are free to design a use for the entire site, or for any smaller part of it. They have asked that you submit a minimum 1,500 -word , typed report with at least one graphic element. Cultural Geogr aphy Spring 20 20 20% of Course Grade Your report must include:  An introduction to the landscape of the former Duluth Works, including the layers of the current landscape when viewed as a palimpsest;  A specific description of your site design, including its external boundaries and internal layout;  A description of the material and non -material traces th at your design will add to the site;  A discussion of the scales, values, and identities that these traces will reflect;  A discussion of how your proposed site design interacts with trace -chains connecting it to the past and to other places ;  A list of activities that will be encouraged and activities that will be disallowed, along with a description of how the site design w ill promote or discourage these activities;  A proposal for how public input on the site design should be gathered and who should make the final design decisions. The graphic may be anything you create yourself to demonstrate your place -making ideas — a sketch, map, photo collage (6+ photos), or diagram — and should take up a full 8½ x 11 page. Explain your graphic in the report. You may use any books, articles, or websites as references for your report. You must include a Reference s section with at least three sources , at least two of which must be sources other than the websites linked in this document. You are encouraged to work with the highly skilled librarians at the Ruth Meyers Library on the FDLTCC campus and/or your local pu blic library to help you with the necessary background research. You are also encouraged to use interactive mapping tools (such as Google Maps , Google Earth , and ArcGIS Online ) to view the site, measure distances, look at nearby landmarks, etc. These tools may NOT count as sour ces for your References section . The Council requires you to submit your report through the D2L assignment dropbox by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 1 . T hey meet on the following Monday morning, and if they don’t have your report in hand, they’ll give the busin ess to a competing design firm! Good luck! Cultural Geogr aphy Spring 20 20 20% of Course Grade Alternative Scenario Do n’t feel like you know the Duluth area well enough to tackle the scenario above? You are free to propose an alternative brownfield site that is closer to you or that you know more about, and write your report about it instead. A list and map of EPA Superfund sites that could b e good candidates is available here . Please contact the instructor with your ideas before starting on your report.