Railroad Edges
March 6th, 2008
If you ever walked along a historic railroad and looked around, you might notice artifacts from an earlier time: abandoned telegraph poles, mechanical signals, and perhaps a watering station if you were lucky. Looking out further you see clusters of settlements, industries, and businesses that located next to the strategic iron highway. A walk along the railroad is an opportunity to perceive and understand our economic and social history through the built form. Some artifacts speak to our current setting: abandoned siding tracks, litter, and backwater houses.
Naomi Adiv, a doctoral student from U.C. Davis, is comprehensively documenting elements and their perceived meanings along the 170 mile Capitol Corridor from San Jose to Oakland, Sacramento, and Auburn, California for her dissertation. Reading just a little bit of her blog has resonated with my fascination of the railroad and formation on the landscape.
photo by compujeramey
Entry Filed under: Interactions, Transportation, Urban Design, Place Sites, Perspectives, Experience Design
1 Comment Add your own
1. David A | March 7th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
There’s no one more of an expert on Ohio railroads than Seth. It’s interesting how the development of “urban” settings revolved around the railroad and water resources rather than trade routes and roads (in Ohio, at least).
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