Avery Dunavant, University of Florida, Master of Architecture
Bicycles have the ability to connect us to not only the urban fabric of a city or place, but to the historic and natural landscape as well. The innovation of the bicycle and its eventual impact on the island of Nantucket is superseded by only the invention of the whaleship and electric heating systems. The bicycle allowed residents and tourists a more efficient way to experience all that the island has to offer. Nantucket’s existing bike path network began construction over 100 years ago, with its most recent form being completed in 2017. These paths connect Town to every corner of the island, and offer a wide range of difficulty and excitement for all levels of cyclists. PIN 50 looked to examine old PIN reports of the past and to build upon this past research through the theme of “new narratives,” examining underrepresented intangible histories that were often lacking in previous reports. This proposal, A Cyclist’s Guide to PIN 50, builds on a report titled “A Cyclist’s Guide to Nantucket,” and proposes a route that incorporates all 14 PIN reports from this summer, along with other sites that fit the theme of discovering “new narratives.”
Was your inspiration a PIN report or other? What is the missing information? Why does this need to be addressed?
The inspiration for this report was a PIN report written as part of the class of 1973. Titled “A Cyclist’s Guide to Nantucket, this report proposed a 37-site bicycle tour intended to “introduce the short-term visitor to the predominance of historic architecture” in Nantucket. The entirety of the report was 11 pages and provided no supplemental maps or graphics to strengthen the tour’s proposal. The project’s assessment of sites along the tour are extremely objective in their analysis, primarily observing architectural styles, namely Greek revival and federal styles, while commenting on form and architectural elements like how many bays a house had, and the shape of its roof. This report does not tell us much about the state of cycling on the island during the 1970’s, but it does give us a valuable gauge of what themes were important to the island, and to the discipline of historic preservation at the time. The tour’s descriptions of each house are completely objective in describing the aesthetics of the exterior of the house, but omits any intangible or cultural narrative that would, or should have been associated with many of the houses along the proposed tour.
Why is your work important?
This project is important as it expands the narrative of the previous tour from an objective look at architectural styles and elements to one that focuses on connecting the underrepresented narratives of intangible histories examined by this year’s PIN reports through a cycling tour. Historical research on the history of cycling shows the island’s deep routes with cycling and its importance to island tourism during many different eras of the island’s history, such as during the automobile ban 1900-1918 and again during the environmentalists movements in the early 1970s. Historically, cycling was extremely liberating for women during the early 1900s, allowing them to surpass typical gender roles and the limitations of foot travel.
What was your methodology? What resources did you use?
The primary methodology for this project was to get out and ride. During the course of the 7 weeks that I was on island, I rode over 200 miles of trails and multi-use paths that gave me an invaluable first hand perspective of the state of the island’s cycling routes and its general accessibility, from which I drew my proposal and recommendations. Historical documents and photographs were essential in piecing together a basic understanding of cycling history on the island. Sites on the tour were primarily based on connecting a majority of the other PIN projects from this year.
What are your findings, proposal, or recommendations?
My findings were that the existing network of cycling trails and multi-use paths is extremely robust in providing a rider access to the entirety of the island through a range of difficulties that would satisfy all levels of riders. While there are some locations where bike paths would be beneficial, or signage could be enhanced, the overall system is satisfactory. However while these routes provide many destinations, with many leading to beach access points, the bike paths on island lack a contextual narrative that ties the island’s historical landmarks and cultural landscapes to the paths. While some sites do have limited signage near the bike paths, a majority of sites do not provide any educational interpretation for a cyclist that may be riding by. My proposal defines a path connecting many of Nantucket’s most famous sites, as well as some that are often overlooked in a single tour that would be available both through digital platforms like AllTrails or ACK Trails, but also through physical wayfinding markers and interpretive signage along the proposed route and supplemental spurs.
What are next steps or further research to be done?
Next steps would be to publish and present this proposed tour as physical and digital assets for public consumption. This would be specifically through pamphlets and apps like All Trails or ACK Trails. Furthermore, physical wayfinding markers along the proposed route would be important in attracting even the casual cyclists that might happen along a site during a ride. Interpretive signage like that used by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation at many of their sites would also be imperative for contextualizing the sites along the route. Further research into policy for signage (refer to PIN 2022 report on Signage by Andrew Birkelbach) would help to navigate Nantucket’s stringent sign policy, and how the policy might be reinterpreted for the advancement of education on the island. Additionally an in-depth study of many problem areas of the islands current bike paths where routes would be most needed would be helpful in alleviating safety concerns throughout.
Citation List
- “A HISTORY OF ROADS AND WAYS IN NANTUCKET COUNTY.” Accessed July 22, 2022.
- “Miracle of the Bipede Bicycles in Nantucket History.” Yesterdays Island, Todays Nantucket, June 11, 2015.
- Morral, Frank, and Barbara Ann White. Hidden History of Nantucket. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2015.
- Nantucket Historical Association, July 27, 2022.
- Nantucket Historical Association,“Summer Stories.” Issuu, June 1, 2004.
- “Strava Global Heatmap.” Strava. Accessed July 22, 2022.