PHIL LEWIS (1925 -2017)

• Lewis was the director of the Recreation and Open

Space Study of Illinois from 1958 to 1961. Here he
identified environmental corridors and landscape
personalities that were used to guide planning efforts.
• Promoted concept of “ environmental corridor“
• Lewis contributed to the origins of geographic
information systems technology with his application
of maps using transparent overlays for environmental
planning.
• Lewis, along with Ian McHarg and Angus Hills, are
credited with the development of the natural resource
inventory approach and map overlays as a crucial part
of the design process.
• PHIL LEWIS’ APPROACH TO REGIONAL PLANNING
PROCESS can and should be linked to idea relating to
SUSTAINABILITY.
• His notable projects are LEWIS NINE SPRINGS E-WAY, a
conservation corridor in Dane County, Wisconsin. The
seven-mile-long project embodies his vision of a
regional planning strategy that celebrates local ecology
and culture.
 Phil Lewis approach to regional planning
• The regional planning process can and should be linked to ideas
relating to sustainability.
• Complex patterns and textures of the landscape should be treated
as a work of art.
• This is because landscape patterns are linked to the larger pattern
within which they are embedded, and to the smaller patterns that
are embedded in it. The regional planning process involves
protection, restoration, and enhancement of the life support
system.

• It is important for planners to guide human development so that

new developments maintain the dynamic balance between natural
and cultural resources. Some of the regional patterns to look for
while designing include toxic patterns, flood patterns, cropland
patterns, aquifer recharge patterns and groundwater patterns. The
planning process should have a holistic and interdisciplinary
approach
Phil Lewis – open space planning
Lewis emphasizes the importance of scale in open space planning.
Sustainability should be planned at three scales, i.e.,
• national scale
• regional scale
• local scale.
National level, the growth of urban areas should take the form of
constellation of stars or donuts, where large open spaces are not
only enclosing cities but are also enclosed by it. Such open spaces
may include biosphere reserves and agricultural lands.
Regional level the urban areas should be connected with
transportation corridors and E Ways, and the urban growth should
be channeled along these corridors. This will help contain urban National level
sprawl. He suggests using railroads as connecting corridors since
they have two important attributes of sustainability. They are
economical and consume less energy than any other modes of
transportation.
local levels it is important to educate the public about sustainability
by using tools such as E Ways, Awareness Centers and Academies for
Sustainable Design. The important regional resources to be
considered in the planning process includes food supply, water
resources, open spaces, and energy resources.
Design for the urban future

CIRCLE CITY
A core of natural resources around which cities would be formed. For example,
there would be such a core in southwestern Wisconsin. The cities around it would
be Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Des Moines.
He calls this new entity Circle City. Its core would consist of protected land, in
which tourism and natural resources, including wetlands, farmland and forests,
would flourish.

Mapped out 23 throughout the nation, are essential

for the survival of the population. They are also
essential for the survival of natural resources that the
population thrives upon and, paradoxically, threatens.

Professor Lewis's primary objective is to prevent urban

sprawl from spreading into and destroying farmland,
water and wetlands.

Nighttime satellite images of the United

States, which showed population
concentrations as clusters of lights or stars,
and he connected the stars into
constellations, or rings. He brought the plan
down to earth by mapping the United States
into 23 rings of cities or urban constellations.
The core of Circle City is the drift less area, 15,000 miles of land untouched by the glaciers in the Ice Age, leaving
it rich in hills and valleys, lakes, wildlife and thick vegetation.
Midwestern Circle City Impact
Vegetation
Water wetlands Steep slopes Invigorating Stabilize slopes, Produces wildlife habitat
essential to life Providing contrasting scenery topography in mid and seasonal colors, and supplies
American Landscape regenerative commercial products
OUTDOOR RECREATION PLAN for the state of Wisconsin Area 100 square miles (259.07 sq. km).

Focus

IDENTIFYING STATEWIDE RECREATIONAL RESOURCE PATTERNS

Study- Pilot Study

TO IDENTIFY THE GEOGRAPHICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE MAJOR AND MINOR RESOURCES.

Finding through the study

He identified the key recreational uses and established land-use criteria

He identified Minor He identified Major

resources Recorded in Separate resources
•Waterfalls maps to help data •Water bodies
•rock outcrops collection. •Topographic features
•picnic areas
Symbols were used to denote the minor resources
 Symbols were used to
denote the minor
resources

Upper Mississippi
River Basin
Wisconsin resources
Wisconsin - Illinois - Natural resource inventory approach – Evolution of regional
planning process
The data were collected at a scale of 1 inch = 2,000 feet (1:24,000) by many people,
including federal, state, and local officials, who worked closely with local people. Local
inhabitants’ awareness of the ecological and cultural values inherent in the major and
minor resources was crucial for their successful identification, protection, and
preservation.

Data analysis using map overlay

major and minor resource patterns to establish the degree of

congruence between them.
Based on analysis

He confirmed that wetlands, water bodies, and significant topographic features constituted
about 90 percent of the resources that were held in high esteem by the local people and
located within the environmental corridors.

Apply this to identified the major and minor recourses in over all
Wisconson Then he priorities the area that need to be
preserved.

Through rating system

Once the priority areas were established, he conducted detailed soil surveys and visual studies to identify unique
local features and to illuminate the limitations on development.
The outcomes were used to provide preliminary estimates of the carrying capacity of the area since human use of
recreational areas might have negative impacts, such as soil compaction. Lewis has conducted numerous studies
since his outdoor recreation plan for Wisconsin, described here, which he documented in his 1996 book, Tomorrow
by Design.
Environmental Jewels on the Landscape Necklace

Linking natural and cultural resources into meaningful patterns

provides the foundation for fostering a more holistic and
comprehensive understanding of a region. Such comprehension is the
precursor for sustainability, high quality of life, sense of place,
integration of art and life, diversity and options from which to choose,
and provides the basis for education and tourism.
 The Environmental Corridor
Diversity Offers Options for Freedom of Choice &
a Healthy Democracy
Dane County Inventory

Dane County Inventory Environmental

Corridors& Urban Rail Corridors
Options for Growth in Corridor
Urban & Rural Frameworks
Linear in Nature
Dane County E-Way
Nine Springs E-way Observation Deck
Location:
• Capital Springs State
Recreation Area, located on
the urban edge of Madison,
is a place that embraces
heritage, education, nature,
and recreation.

• Six miles of trail have been

established on the eastern
end of the E-Way corridor.
 History of the E-Way

In 1969, the National Endowment for the Arts provided funds for the development of an
environmental study model to illustrate how a community can identify and capitalize on existing
natural and human made resources.
The goal of the Project was to elevate Environmental, Ecological and Esthetic planning decisions to a
higher priority within the community development decision making process.

E-Way Concept
This resulted in an "E-Way" concept that was developed in large part by Professor Phil Lewis of the
University of Wisconsin.
The "E" represents Educational, Environmental, Esthetic and Ecological resources that are linked
through a shared corridor.
Environmental corridor planning is now a major decision making tool used in land use decisions
throughout the world.
The Lewis Nine Springs E-Way contains large wetlands and sedge meadows,
native forest and many large springs. These features provide ideal habitats for a
wide variety of vegetation and wildlife.

The Lewis Nine Springs E-Way Unit is a large area of land encompassing most of
the other Capital Springs Recreation Area units within its corridor. It is all the
efforts of Dane County Parks, which has been responsible for acquiring and
overseeing parcels of land within the E-Way since 1970, visitors have the
opportunity to enjoy this unit through a six-mile system of intricate trails.
 The E-Way Trail System

Through the teachings and advocacy of both Phil Lewis and his wife, Elizabeth "Libby" Lewis, Dane
County adopted the Nine Springs E-Way project area, which extends from Dunn's Marsh at Seminole
Highway east to Lake Waubesa and includes more than 1,300 acres under County ownership.
The Nine Spring's E-Way is the world's first "E-Way" and was recognized by the State of Wisconsin as a
significant resource throughout the designation of the Capital Springs State Park & Recreation Area,
which contains a large part of the Nine Springs E-Way.
The Nine Springs E-Way is a resource that residents throughout Dane County identify with. A significant
trail system traverses through the Nine Springs E-Way, bringing what may be considered the fifth "E" to
the corridor: Exercise.

Multiple bridges span across the Lewis Nine Springs E-Way trail system.
• The Lewis Nine Springs E-way extends from
Verona Road on the west to Lake Farm
County Park on the east.
• The corridor includes many points of
natural and cultural interest including
extensive areas of wetlands, prairies,
forests, Native American mound sites and
numerous large springs which flow into
Nine Springs Creek.
• In addition to these natural and cultural
features, the Lewis Nine Springs E-Way
includes many educational and
recreational opportunities.
• A system of trails (including the Capital
City State Trail) is being developed for
year-round public use and enjoyment.
• The trail system provides opportunities
for jogging, hiking, biking, nature study,
photography, and cross-country skiing.
The trails also lead to scenic overlooks
and vistas of the surrounding areas.
• The corridor and trails provide an
excellent outdoor classroom for nature
studies, science projects and school field
trips.
• At present, six miles of trail have been
established on the eastern end of the E-
Way corridor.