UA Student Designs Welcome for West Memphis

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Landscape architecture student Shannon Wallace is entering professional life a little early, thanks to her simple plan to spruce up the entrance to West Memphis. Using signage, paint and fields of wildflowers, Wallace’s design makes a big impact with a small budget. City leaders are raising funds to implement her plan.

"We are the gateway to Arkansas, and Shannon’s plan is consciousness raising," said Ross Hooper, the recently retired chief executive officer of Crittenden County Hospital who spearheaded city work on the project.

"I’m really excited about it!" Wallace said. "I know it’s going to be a long process, but it’s really amazing to see something of mine actually being built when I’ve just started my third year in school."

Wallace’s opportunity stems from a second-year studio led last fall by landscape architecture professor John Crone. The students developed designs to visually enhance Missouri Street, which functions as the main street and entry into West Memphis. The project was difficult due to Missouri Street’s proximity to one of the busiest highway intersections in the United States. Vehicles exiting Interstates 40 and 55 circle under the highways and enter Missouri Street through underpasses. The situation is further complicated by a railroad track carrying 20 freight trains each day that runs parallel to Missouri Street.

"The area lacks identity and it’s a confusing intersection," Crone said. "This project was a tough one, but our students rose to the challenge. Shannon’s design is doable, using low-cost, low-maintenance paint, wildflowers and native pines to welcome visitors to the area."

Inspired by West Memphis’ logo, Wallace proposed freshening up the grimy highway supports with a wave pattern painted in two shades of blue. She extended the idea by lining the access roads with poles painted with the wave pattern.

"It’s such a large area to work with, so I tried to think big to make more of an impact," Wallace said. The poles are spaced closer together as cars slow down close to the underpass, introducing a play on speed and perspective. A landscaped sign and native plantings complete the plan.

"There’s no fussiness to it," Hooper said. "It won’t require a lot of maintenance."

The city of West Memphis has already received a $100,000 grant from the Advertising and Promotion Commission to implement the first phase of Wallace’s plan: cleaning and painting the concrete columns that support the highway overpass. The poles, sign, and landscaping will be implemented in later phases, Hooper said.

The West Memphis Chamber of Commerce, the Crittenden Arts Council and the University of Arkansas Economic Development Institute partnered on the project. The institute works to enhance the social and economic well-being of Arkansans by extending the programs and resources of the university to communities throughout the state. One of the Economic Development Institute’s core activities, Students Engaged in Economic Development (SEED), matches faculty members seeking hands-on experience for their classes with economic development projects in communities throughout Arkansas.

"This is the second time that the Department of Landscape Architecture has collaborated with UAEDI on a SEED project," said department head Fran Beatty. "Grappling with real-world problems gives our students a preview of professional practice. We are delighted that Shannon’s design will be realized."

Students will continue to develop plans for enhancing the area, thanks to a two-year grant from the Mack-Blackwell Rural Transportation Study Center. The grant will fund interdisciplinary work between the Economic Development Institute and the UA departments of landscape architecture and civil engineering.

"Work will continue on the larger issue of creating a gateway for the town and state," John Crone said. Among the ideas being considered is a large sculpture that can be read from the highway, such as landscape architecture student Sean Shrum’s 60-foot-tall transportation icon.

As for Wallace, she’s on to new projects, including a commission to design and paint a mural in downtown Hot Springs, Ark., her hometown. Next semester, she’s off to New Zealand to spend a semester working on organic farms.

"This year’s going to be really busy, but it’s a good busy," she said. "I like working on a lot of different things."