Mary Vogel, former co-director of the Center for Changing Landscapes, is currently a senior research fellow with the Minnesota Design Center in the College of Design. Vogel has led community design efforts in the metropolitan area and throughout Minnesota that address transportation systems, environmental issues, recreational opportunities, economic re/development strategies, personal safety issues, neighborhood stabilization, and community enhancement. Her work has emphasized land use as a critical component of transportation systems.
She has led efforts that have included using design to depict how a light-rail system could be effectively sited along University Avenue instead of locating it in the I-94 trench. She worked with the local neighborhoods to create station area plans for the proposed Hiawatha Light Rail Line, as required for receiving federal funding.
Vogel also worked with local communities along I-394 to create land-use plans associated with transit station locations that will enhance transit use. She documented recreational trails throughout Minnesota, creating a framework for their expansion and enhancement. She also used trails as a community re/development tool and created a 21st-century re/development strategy for small rural communities.
Currently, she is leading rural community work as part of the Empowering Small Minnesota Communities effort, where she is developing strategies to address strategic opportunities in small rural communities using design thinking and 21st-century technologies.
Vogel received her master’s degree in architecture from the University of Minnesota.