The provocation for this study by eight Washington State University graduate architecture students, is the accelerating degradation of an extraordinary contoured landscape called the Palouse through building construction. Located in southeastern Washington State, this remarkable topography has been a draw to artists, photographers, tourists, and geologists for many decades, and considered by many as one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Following their inventory analysis, the students developed proposals to reconcile this difficult conflict - our desire to make the world flat in a landscape of rolling hills “at the height of storm.” They “unearthed” ways to both preserve this iconic heritage of topography and respond to life in a world of shopping carts, wheel chairs, and cars. It is our hope that these essays will provoke dialogue about how we might better protect the beauty of the Palouse topography and, at the same time, recognize our desire for flatness – we are always searching for “the path of least resistance”. This effort is not a “either/or” but a “both/and” proposition. If these imaginative and heartfelt perspectives add to this discussion, this effort will be considered a success.