Resilient Ecological Frameworks: Re-engaging Paducah with a Lost Landscape

Like many communities along the Tennessee River, Paducah, KY’s riverfront infrastructures in Paducah, KY, designed to insulate a community from the impacts of the river’s natural flood and erosion regimes, create physical and psychological barriers between the city and the river landscape.  

Resilient Frameworks operates across social and ecological territories in Paducah, proposing a series of strategic interventions that reintegrate ecological materials and ecosystem services into approaches to shoreline armoring and the design of public spaces while blurring otherwise hardened infrastructural lines between the city and river. Riverfront pathways, gathering spaces, glass floodwall openings, and an extended shoreline with safe paddle corridors create an environment for locals to take pride in the river landscape and experience at the human scale its beauty and diversity as well as historical industry narratives. A plant palette native to riparian corridors enhances the ecological performance, appearance, and resilience to fluctuating river levels. In contrast, plant materials native to upland floodplain forests extend the river’s presence across the city’s fabric of streetscapes and public parks.   

UT River Studio 2019

Location: Paducah, KY

Student: Taylor Harrell

Faculty Advisor: Brad Collett