Fleming-Neon is one of many small rural communities in Eastern Kentucky that were devastated by floods in July 2022. In partnership with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, the University of Kentucky Landscape Architecture's senior capstone studio worked with community members to develop a diverse range of hypothetical designs that can help them envision possibilities for the future. Ranging in scale from a regional trails network encompassing walking, hiking, biking and ATVs, to a local Wellness Hub offering a holistic range of health and wellness options – both inside and outside – the goal of the students’ work is to help the community reframe the loss and destruction from the flood in a way that can, in the community’s own words, “serve as a catalyst for reinvention and forging a way forward.”

The student projects reflect and complement inspiring community-driven efforts that were already underway, including the Imagine Letcher Economic Development Action Plan and the Neon Rising Initiative. Their designs were enriched by travel, as well as community engagement and feedback throughout the spring 2024 semester. The students’ vision and projects gave the people of Fleming-Neon a sense of hope and possibility, helping them understand how landscape architecture can support the health, safety and well-being of the community; attract tourists and future residents; and create opportunities for sustainable, sustaining, and resilient approaches to community development.

This studio would not have been possible without the knowledge, passion, and participation of the people of Fleming-Neon and Letcher County and support of important project partners. Thank you to: the Neon Rising Initiative, Cheryl and Jeff Hawkins, Craig Eddis, Missy Matthews, Kathy and Philip Adams, Jo Ann and Stan Osborne, Mayor Ricky Burke, Judge Executive Terry Adams and many more community members who care deeply about the future of Fleming-Neon, Letcher County and Eastern Kentucky; Helen Siewers, Russell Clark and Teri Nye, Landscape Architects at the National Park Service Recreation, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program who invited our studio to join this recovery and visioning effort, helped facilitate community engagement efforts, shared valuable feedback with students throughout the semester, and provided generous financial support for student travel; and Thomas McKinley, a graduate of our program and landscape designer at Bell Engineering, who was an invaluable resource for the students, providing support, insights and advice as a para-professional in the studio. Last, but not least, thank you to these twelve talented seniors, whose sense of purpose and commitment to their projects and the community was inspiring.