Lines in the Dirt: A Landscape of Baseball and Belonging

Author

• Julia S. Riola

Files

Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Landscape Architecture

College

Arts and Sciences

Department

Landscape Architecture, Disaster Resiliency & Emergency Management (LADREM)

Faculty Advisor

Anna Maria Visilia

Studio Coordinator

Jay Kost

Faculty Chair

Dominic Fischer

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

URI

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Abstract

This thesis reimagines an underutilized, commercially zoned site in Blaine, Minnesota. Once a drained wetland, the site is positioned between expanding suburbs and smaller surrounding communities. The project proposes a multifunctional public landscape rooted in baseball, ecology, and community connection. A community baseball field serves as the anchor, surrounded by prairie meadows, forest trails, ponds, and gathering spaces that aim to restore ecological systems and social engagement. The design explores how landscape architecture can transform overlooked suburban areas into places of belonging, where community, movement, and nature come together. Through layered programming and sensitivity to context, the project offers a vision for healing land and community alike.

Recommended Citation

Riola, Julia S., "Lines in the Dirt: A Landscape of Baseball and Belonging" (2025). Landscape Architecture Theses. 30.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/landscape-architecture-theses/30