I’m exploring resource-use dynamics and how social systems transition between relying on high-quality, concentrated resources (like fossil fuels) and low-quality, dispersed resources (like sunshine).  Specifically, I’m looking at Evansville, WI, a small town in Southern Wisconsin and how it has persisted through one major transitional period, and how it is preparing for another.  These transitions in resource-use occur at large scales.  My research explores how these large-scale phenomena affect local/regional scales.  One of the ways this occurs is through transportation infrastructure.  A major component of this research is the role of transportation infrastructure in regional and local land use and demographic trends.  The railroad expanded throughout Southern Wisconsin to capture the diffuse photosynthetic resource base, i.e. agriculture.  The shift from an agricultural based economy to a manufacturing/industry based economy was accompanied by an infrastructural shift to the highway system.  This research explores the role of this infrastructural transition on the patterns of urban and regional development,sustainability, and resilience.  This historical research will help inform future decision-makers facing the challenges associated with sustainable development in the context of a shifting resource base (from fossil fuels to renewable energy).

An animated GIS map showing the development of the railroad in Wisconsin from 1853-1922. 

Information on timing and location of rail construction taken from The Railroads of Wisconsin 1827-1937, and digitized using QGIS 0.9.0.