Crafting Appalachia
Reframing regional challenges through site-based interventions

This project translates regional research on Appalachia into site-specific design explorations that address ecological, cultural, and economic challenges. Beginning with context mapping, I identified key regional dynamics such as abandoned rail lines, agricultural decline, and shifting land use patterns. These insights framed base site plans that captured topography, circulation networks, vegetation, hydrology, and existing programs, situating each site as a fragment within a larger regional system.

Through iterative diagramming and design operations, I tested interventions in topography, circulation, and planting to reorganize and repurpose sites as nodes within broader networks. Sections and schematic drawings conveyed both spatial and temporal change, illustrating how new ecologies and community uses could emerge over time. By working across multiple scales, the project positioned Appalachia’s landscapes not as isolated challenges, but as opportunities for regeneration and connection..