Contact: Andy Pressman 277-3133 Media Contact: Carolyn Gonzales 277-5920

November 20, 2002 DESIGN FOR TRANSPORTATION FOCUS OF UNM ARCHITECTURE JOURNAL The University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning (SAAP) recently released the fall 2002 issue of "Mass," a biannual publication on issues involving the faculty and students of the school. Titled, "Between the Mobile and the Fixed: Design for Transportation," the special issue was edited by Albuquerque architect Robert W. Peters, an urban design consultant to the City of Albuquerque Planning Department and the Public Art Program and adjunct architecture professor at UNM. Alf Simon, director of the landscape architecture program, prefaces the publication by describing public works - highways, bridges, dams, canals, and more as "landscapes of the technological sublime." He describes infrastructure as more than basic services, but also as systems of culture and urban landscape that provide people with an "awareness and understanding of the processes that maintain their urban existence." Peters authored the article, "The Interstate Corridor Enhancement Plan: A Conceptual Framework for Albuquerque" that discusses Albuquerque's interstate highway corridors as both a "journey into the city" and a "journey through the city." He designates I-40 as the "cultural and open space/recreational corridor" because it provides access to Old Town, downtown, Nob Hill, the University, fairgrounds and other significant nodes and destinations. Alternatively, north-south I-25 can be conceived as the "entertainment corridor" providing access to UNM facilities, the baseball stadium, Balloon Fiesta Park and theaters. Together, the highways provide a "directory of destinations," he said. Peters notes that although much of the freeway system in Albuquerque has been extensively renovated, the interchange at Louisiana Blvd. is currently undergoing design review. "The City of Albuquerque's Planning Department is working on that interchange with sculptor Tom Waldron," said Peters. In addition to the construction itself, landscape design opportunity issues along both corridors are being addressed by a variety of consultants and nationally acclaimed landscape architects. Copies of "Mass" may be ordered via e-mail, rhall@unm.edu.

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