Graduation Year
January 2013
Graduation Month
May
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
School or Department
Geography
Faculty Mentor Department
Geography
Faculty Mentor
Sarah J. Halvorson
Faculty Reader(s)
Christiane von Reichert, James McKusick
Keywords
community activity, community health, Missoula riverfront, Missoula history
Subject Categories
Place and Environment
Abstract
Urban river greenways have the potential to serve as landscapes of civic environmentalism in the American West. Missoula’s urban river corridor is such a landscape. This study seeks to assess the history of Missoula’s urban river corridor, and the degree to which the city’s current urban river greenway meets social and environmental goals. The urban river greenway in Missoula is a successful social undertaking, and its history shows a positive change in the treatment of the river as a healthy landscape feature. In order to explore this concept, historical data was gathered on Missoula’s past relationship to the river, and how the riverfront came to be as it is today. Additional observational data was then gathered regarding the greenway and community sentiment toward the river. The urban river greenway serves many social purposes and satisfies many of the human dimensions of this landscape form. From an ecological perspective, it can be observed that alterations to the river’s course, and funding limitations, may not make it a successful natural area. Despite this, the environmental improvements which have already been made, and the community benefits derived from the urban riverfront, illustrate a positive change in the relationship between Missoula and the Clark Fork River.
Honors College Research Project
1
Recommended Citation
Burch, Sandra, "City on the “River of Awe”: An Historical & Observational Study of Missoula’s Urban River Greenway" (2013). Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts. 11.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/utpp/11
Included in
© Copyright 2013 Sandra Burch