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Papers by Peter Butler

The Southern Coalfields of West Virginia is a region undergoing extraordinary levels of change th... more The Southern Coalfields of West Virginia is a region undergoing extraordinary levels of change through the practice of mountaintop removal mining . At the core of the disturbance is northern McDowell County in deep southern West Virginia, an economically and ecologically compromised area long dependent on extractive industries, and a venue of ongoing degradation. Mountaintop removal involves the excavation of a coal seam from the top down, rather than traditional tunnel mining. As 'developable' flat land, the remnant landscape is perceived to provide economic development opportunities for local communities. The 'site' (6000 acres) of this project is a reclaimed surface mine north of the town of Welch WV and on the border between Wyoming and McDowell Counties including the Indian Ridge Industrial Park (600 acres). This project proposes the positive reuse of the landscape through the installation of alternative energy infrastructure: biomass, wind and solar; and a phased plan for integration of mixed-use development.

at West Virginia University is building a portfolio of integrated LiDAR (Light Detection And Rang... more at West Virginia University is building a portfolio of integrated LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) projects in the areas of historic preservation, heritage planning, and visualization. Airborne, long-range, and closerange ground-based LiDAR technology is applied to the documentation of geographic areas and the construction of three-dimensional digital models at 'regional' , 'site' , and 'building/structure' scale. The models provide benefits to many disciplines, particularly resource management, historic preservation and landscape architecture creating enhanced opportunities for research. In accurately combining pointclouds, models provide for landscape documentation, analysis, planning and visualization.

Travel and the road are central to the American cultural imagination (Kerouac, Miller, Steinbeck,... more Travel and the road are central to the American cultural imagination (Kerouac, Miller, Steinbeck, Dylan, Least Heat Moon, etc). The 'father' of landscape architecture as a profession, F.L. Olmsted, Sr. traveled extensively in southwest England and the southern states of America, informing and developing design sensibilities; and contemporary practitioners espouse the benefits of travel to their work and professional identity. Pedagogic approaches to travel in contemporary design education, specifically landscape architecture, may be drawn from multiple literatures converging, cross-pollinating and creating a necessarily trans-disciplinary approach. Cultural geography, ethnography, literary theory and criticism, anthropology, tourism analysis, history, ecology, geomorphology, landscape architecture, architecture, city and regional planning, etc. all present methods for site interpretation and analysis at various scales and in varying contexts.

This study focuses on the coal company town of Everettville, WV in north-central West Virginia an... more This study focuses on the coal company town of Everettville, WV in north-central West Virginia and, at its center, a former mined landscape, Federal No. 3, that is currently being reintegrated into the community as a culture/ nature park. The mine began operation in 1921 and a town was established which included hierarchically and racially ordered residences, segregated churches and schools, and a company store. The mine site's significance as a cultural landscape is grounded in an explosion that occurred in the spring of 1927 when 151 miners were killed under suspicious circumstances.

Communities across Appalachia inherited the toxic legacy of abandoned mine lands, brownfields and... more Communities across Appalachia inherited the toxic legacy of abandoned mine lands, brownfields and their associated ecological, cultural and social challenges. These sites require the expertise and commitment of an interdisciplinary team to provide solutions that mitigate extant problems and enhance the future quality of life in underserved communities. Addressing the critical issues presented by these sites through scientific inquiry paired with design and planning serves to transform derelict spaces into public places enhances the long-term quality of life of residents, protects and improves the health and well-being of local residents, and builds sustainable partnerships between the academy, government agencies, non-profit organizations and local citizens. Projects reveal a legacy for the discipline of landscape architecture: fitting a niche within the project scope. The niche fulfills the need to communicate with a public and integrate voices to planning; to work within the bounds of science-based solutions for resolution of environmental constraints in design; to address issues of memory and local site significance through interpretative strategies; and to build value into devalued environments towards the establishment of meaningful community space.

defined a water course, as a path, through their landforms; and imagined themselves, or others, e... more defined a water course, as a path, through their landforms; and imagined themselves, or others, experiencing the place as a drop of water, flowing through the psychological landscape of their design, experiencing the landforms of the journey. Fragments of text taken from journals were presented as a part of their final composition. The landform projects were built of clay and recorded with ink on Mylar.

Book Chapters by Peter Butler

The Southern Coalfields of West Virginia is a region undergoing extraordinary levels of change th... more The Southern Coalfields of West Virginia is a region undergoing extraordinary levels of change through the practice of mountaintop removal mining . At the core of the disturbance is northern McDowell County in deep southern West Virginia, an economically and ecologically compromised area long dependent on extractive industries, and a venue of ongoing degradation. Mountaintop removal involves the excavation of a coal seam from the top down, rather than traditional tunnel mining. As 'developable' flat land, the remnant landscape is perceived to provide economic development opportunities for local communities. The 'site' (6000 acres) of this project is a reclaimed surface mine north of the town of Welch WV and on the border between Wyoming and McDowell Counties including the Indian Ridge Industrial Park (600 acres). This project proposes the positive reuse of the landscape through the installation of alternative energy infrastructure: biomass, wind and solar; and a phased plan for integration of mixed-use development.

at West Virginia University is building a portfolio of integrated LiDAR (Light Detection And Rang... more at West Virginia University is building a portfolio of integrated LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) projects in the areas of historic preservation, heritage planning, and visualization. Airborne, long-range, and closerange ground-based LiDAR technology is applied to the documentation of geographic areas and the construction of three-dimensional digital models at 'regional' , 'site' , and 'building/structure' scale. The models provide benefits to many disciplines, particularly resource management, historic preservation and landscape architecture creating enhanced opportunities for research. In accurately combining pointclouds, models provide for landscape documentation, analysis, planning and visualization.

Travel and the road are central to the American cultural imagination (Kerouac, Miller, Steinbeck,... more Travel and the road are central to the American cultural imagination (Kerouac, Miller, Steinbeck, Dylan, Least Heat Moon, etc). The 'father' of landscape architecture as a profession, F.L. Olmsted, Sr. traveled extensively in southwest England and the southern states of America, informing and developing design sensibilities; and contemporary practitioners espouse the benefits of travel to their work and professional identity. Pedagogic approaches to travel in contemporary design education, specifically landscape architecture, may be drawn from multiple literatures converging, cross-pollinating and creating a necessarily trans-disciplinary approach. Cultural geography, ethnography, literary theory and criticism, anthropology, tourism analysis, history, ecology, geomorphology, landscape architecture, architecture, city and regional planning, etc. all present methods for site interpretation and analysis at various scales and in varying contexts.

This study focuses on the coal company town of Everettville, WV in north-central West Virginia an... more This study focuses on the coal company town of Everettville, WV in north-central West Virginia and, at its center, a former mined landscape, Federal No. 3, that is currently being reintegrated into the community as a culture/ nature park. The mine began operation in 1921 and a town was established which included hierarchically and racially ordered residences, segregated churches and schools, and a company store. The mine site's significance as a cultural landscape is grounded in an explosion that occurred in the spring of 1927 when 151 miners were killed under suspicious circumstances.

Communities across Appalachia inherited the toxic legacy of abandoned mine lands, brownfields and... more Communities across Appalachia inherited the toxic legacy of abandoned mine lands, brownfields and their associated ecological, cultural and social challenges. These sites require the expertise and commitment of an interdisciplinary team to provide solutions that mitigate extant problems and enhance the future quality of life in underserved communities. Addressing the critical issues presented by these sites through scientific inquiry paired with design and planning serves to transform derelict spaces into public places enhances the long-term quality of life of residents, protects and improves the health and well-being of local residents, and builds sustainable partnerships between the academy, government agencies, non-profit organizations and local citizens. Projects reveal a legacy for the discipline of landscape architecture: fitting a niche within the project scope. The niche fulfills the need to communicate with a public and integrate voices to planning; to work within the bounds of science-based solutions for resolution of environmental constraints in design; to address issues of memory and local site significance through interpretative strategies; and to build value into devalued environments towards the establishment of meaningful community space.

defined a water course, as a path, through their landforms; and imagined themselves, or others, e... more defined a water course, as a path, through their landforms; and imagined themselves, or others, experiencing the place as a drop of water, flowing through the psychological landscape of their design, experiencing the landforms of the journey. Fragments of text taken from journals were presented as a part of their final composition. The landform projects were built of clay and recorded with ink on Mylar.