HighLight Heading
October 2007
U of M course explores impacts of bridge collapse
Like nothing else, the collapse of the I–35W bridge made clear its connections to the Mississippi River and the community, including the University of Minnesota east bank campus less than a mile away.
The I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed August 1.
Prompted by the collapse, the River Life Program of the University’s new Institute on the Environment, in conjunction with the Urban Studies Program, the Water Resources Center, and the Institute for Advanced Study, created a program exploring the particular dimensions of the river/bridge/community nexus. The multifaceted program—“The River, the Bridge, the Community”—includes an undergraduate course, a lecture series, and a Web site.
The course, “Topics in Urban Studies URBS 3800,” is being held Monday afternoons this semester. Students will explore a number of questions: What does the Mississippi River mean to the community as a transportation system? What does I- 35 mean as a transportation system? What are the implications of the collapse for Mississippi River water quality?
The course instructor is Patrick Nunnally, a research associate with the Institute on the Environment. Nunnally is the coordinator for “River Life: The Mississippi and U,” a program of the institute. The course will also feature speakers from outside campus as well as campus experts.
An associated lecture series on Tuesday afternoons will be open to the public as well as enrolled students. Speakers and topics include John Adams, associate dean of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, “The New Bridge as a Transportation Link” (November 6); Tom Fisher, dean of the College of Design, “The Design of a New Bridge” (November 13); and Lance Neckar, professor of landscape architecture, “Integrated Design: Sustainable Community”.