Staff: Pat Nunnally

Coordinator, CDES Mississippi River Initiative
M.S.L.A. (University of Minnesota)
Ph.D., M.A. (American Studies, University of Iowa)
M.A., B.A. (English, Vanderbilt University)

During the course of his career, Patrick Nunnally has specialized in researching, teaching, and managing projects that celebrate the multiple connections between people and the places they value. A firm believer in the importance of collaborative efforts, Nunnally has developed interpretive and education programs that disseminate information to public audiences and has worked with diverse groups to integrate resource protection and place-based interpretation into ongoing local and regional planning frameworks. In addition to his public sector experience, Nunnally has served on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, teaching classes in landscape planning and urban studies. Over the past decade, he has specialized in projects along rivers, trails, and scenic byways. Documenting, preserving and celebrating the cultural heritage of the Upper Mississippi River and its valley has become the cornerstone of Nunnally's work.

Current Writing Projects

Central Park of the Heartland: The Upper Mississippi River Landscape is a book-length manuscript on the designed landscapes of the Upper Mississippi, that region from the Headwaters to St. Louis. Special attention is paid to urban landscapes and design in cities that are renewing their riverfronts. Expected completion: 2008.

"Biking the Big River" is a series of bicycling itineraries that combine attention to the "nuts and bolts" of bicycle touring (directional cue sheets, maps, places to get food and water, etc.) with a focus on the natural and cultural heritage of the landscapes through which the cyclist travels. The project, expected to encompass 50 trips of day trip length (35-50 miles), will cover the entire Mississippi River region and will probably be initially made accessible through the Web. Expected completion: 2009.

Project Experience

Coordinator, Mississippi River Design Initiative an interdisciplinary program under the auspices of the University of Minnesota's College of Design that seeks to strengthen the connections between the University of Minnesota and the Mississippi River. Program emphases include providing design and planning assistance to on-campus and off-campus partners, and public education that draws attention to design and the built environment of the urban Mississippi River. The initiative began with "A River Runs Through Us," symposium held at the University of Minnesota, April 2005.

Project Director, regional communication and interpretive projects that develop partnerships with communities and organizations throughout the Upper Mississippi River region. Major project sponsors have included the University of Minnesota and Mississippi River Trail, Inc. 1998-present.

 





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