His work assesses the history and condition of historic sites, leveraging his expertise in design and preservation planning to guide their future management. Torkelson and the UHP team craft their recommendations through community engagement and participatory design processes, often including interviews, oral histories, and workshops. His work addresses issues of social justice and representation in landscapes that have not historically afforded multiple voices or narratives.
Torkelson’s approach to landscape preservation is illustrated in the recently completed Lewis Mountain Cultural Landscape Report, a collaborative effort between the National Park Service and former workers and visitors to Lewis Mountain, a historically segregated campground in Shenandoah National Park. Since joining the Urban Heritage Project in 2018, he has worked at eight national parks, totaling over 2300+ pages of research.
