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Map of 4-mile section of High Trestle Trail bisecting Ankeny, IA

Made of plates of Corn-ten steel, these low-maintenance sculptures of native Iowa wildlife shimmer and seem to appear and disappear as viewers shift their position and perspective.

A whirling, banked track with landscaped features lights up and plays music as cyclists and pedestrians take a quick spin off their straight and narrow path.

A whirling, banked track with landscaped features lights up and plays music as cyclists and pedestrians take a quick spin off their straight and narrow path.

Modelled after the original High Trestle Trail in Boone, IA, it anchors the history of Iowa’s most popular recreational trail and insists that cyclotourists start their journeys in what will soon become Iowa’s favorite hometown.

An icon, a gateway, a destination, a landmark, and a vantage point, this low-maintenance steel and wood structure encourages safe climbing for low-altitude views of the trail—but not into neighborhoods!

Temporary cultural features drive loyalty, intrigue, and personality.

This artful, sculptural veneer is a small investment to an existing plan for a much needed bathroom amenity at the Irvinedale trailhead. As nice as it is to have a restroom, water, seating, and maintenance options at the beginning or end of a trip, it’s doubly nice to have the personality of a welcoming hometown front porch. By integrating with planned trail improvements, big distinction is accomplished with small cost.

Using a house-shaped plan to add a simple shelter to any park along the trail, all of a park’s regular features—picnic seating, shade, dog runs, water, and play structures—reinforce Ankeny’s hometown, neighborly feel at a cost lower than many generic-from-the-catalog park facilities.

Ready for use at several sites, the artist engages with Ankeny residents to capture the dreams and ambitions of citizens as brightly colorful patterned tiles. Fall in love, or pick up milk, the people of Ankeny can be proud to show off the hopes for their lives to neighbors and visitors.

Adding a simple dash of design sophistication to existing, straight-out-of-the-catalog pedestrian bridges allows Ankeny to declare that it is not just another bland suburb. Over 22,000 motorists every day will see this new, iconic feature that comes a significantly reduced cost vs custom bridge work.

Adding whimsical, sculptural pollinator habitats throughout the trail is not only fun, it helps rebuild the natural resources we all rely on for the healthy environments we rely on.

Restoring the indigenous prairie that forms the essence of Ankeny’s history and heritage is also a beautiful way to create gathering places and respite in the center of a city.

Amanda Lovelee and Emily Stover proposed a bleacher seating area to rest, receive shade, and watch Ankeny’s tree-residents thrive. The reverse side is an irresistible family selfie station with a growth marker, like the height indicators on a kitchen doorframe, allowing Ankeny’s public hometown feel to become synonymous with home.

An inexpensive addition to any of Ankeny’s parks, this woven net feature, similar to the climbing nets in Urbandale’s Walker Johnston park, double as climbing structures for kids or hammocks for adults wanting a moment to lay back and contemplate the clouds. From above, the nets and poles resemble the growth rings of a tree stump.