Hello there heathaplexVISION fans! I’ve decided to start a new trend on my blog and get off the beaten path every now and then. Gotta keep things fresh and it starts with expanding your horizons. From time to time we’ll explore the world of design and design thinking, leadership and leaders in action, or that something special that I feel may inspire you and make you go hmmmmm. Perhaps we’ll just refer to these posts as “Perspectives.” So check out the header and let’s start this crazy journey.

For my inaugural post I ran across an amazing international design competition aimed at reducing road hazards on our nation’s highways through the use of wildlife-safety bridges. This initiative not only preserves the natural beauty of our environment but could potentially save our $8 billion roadkill problem. Even if we could cut this back in half, it’s a step in the right direction. Plus, just think of the lives and animals that could be saved because of these bridges. I’ll let the video speak for itself, but if you would like more information check out the article by Suzanne Labarre’s (Senior editor at Co.Design) on FastCompany.com here: “A Simple Concrete Bridge That Could Save America’s Wildlife.” Enjoy!

ARC: International Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure Design Competition from ARC on Vimeo.

ARC will engage the best and most innovative international, interdisciplinary design teams—comprised of landscape architects, architects, engineers, ecologists, and other experts—to create the next generation of wildlife crossing structures for North America’s roadways. This competition seeks specifically from its entries, innovation in feasible, buildable context-sensitive and compelling design solutions for safe, efficient, cost-effective, and ecologically responsive wildlife crossings. In doing so, it hopes to raise international awareness of a need to better reconcile the construction and maintenance of road networks with wildlife movement.