keystone XL pipeline trail: a cross country bike path by SWA group

‘KXL pipeline trail’: a cross-country bike path by SWA groupimage courtesy SWA group

as crazy as it may sound, houston-based landscape architect group SWA have proposed to develop a cross-country bike path alongside thecontroversial 5,000 mile long keystone XL crude-oil pipeline. ‘there are hundreds of small towns that won’t benefit from the oil sands once the pipeline is built,’ says SWA principal kinder baumgardner. ‘what we’re talking about is an opportunity to make it into an amenity managed at a local scale.‘ dubbed as the ‘KXL pipeline trail’, the projects sees an opportunity for localized development, which could ultimately increase local tourism and provide exposure to existing cultural and natural heritage sites. ‘the environment it will create isn’t beautiful, useful, or necessarily safe… if we’re not thinking about how to make it better for people, that’s a problem. it’s time to set a precedent for imagining infrastructure that folds into the reality of our everyday lives.’

the project proposes a cross-country bike path alongside the controversial 5,000 mile long keystone XL crude-oil pipelineimage courtesy SWA group

the concept could increase local tourism and provide exposure to existing cultural and natural heritage sitesimage courtesy SWA group

the projects sees an opportunity for localized developmentimage courtesy SWA group

map demonstrating how many pipelines already exist in the united states and canadaimage courtesy SWA group

map demonstrating the ethnic diversity that exists within the areas through which the pipeline will travelimage courtesy SWA group

map demonstrating the ecological and climatic diversity of the regionimage courtesy SWA group

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