Mutualistic Occupation

Currently there are approximately 109 million acresof Wilderness in the United States of America.While this area continues to grow, so too does theimpact of population growth and visitation to theseprotected lands. Furthermore the budget for thenational forest service is rapidly being consumedby the fighting of forest fires putting a significantstrain on other maintenance of these lands andreducing the capacity for public education. Thispaper presents the pedagogical framing and studentdesign projects that respond to the following: Canour occupation and enjoyment of these places shiftfrom the mentality of “leave no trace” to one ofmutualistic benefit? Can our presence within theWilderness improve the sustainability of both theecosystem and the economic system that supportsit? The paper evidences design proposals that usethe desired inhabitation of the Wilderness as amechanism to improve the ecosystem through ouroccupation. The student projects presented hereleverage opportunities within existing systems topropose an architecture of mutualistic occupation.

Volume Editors
Urs Peter Flueckiger & Victoria McReynolds

ISBN
978-1-944214-16-6