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A Failure of Frontage
Do cities have a “failure of frontage?” I credit Dan Parolek of Opticos Design for coining the term. When I was researching a post on form-based codes in the Bay Area, Dan explained he believes cities...
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How to Get Good Development in Downtown East? Get the Streets Right
If we get the streets right, good things will follow in downtown east. Much hand-wringing is occurring over whether or not there will be good development around the new Minnesota Vikings football...
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You Might Be an Urbanist
With all apologies to Jeff Foxworthy (please add your own in the comments section)… …If you choose a slightly longer route to your destination because you know the walk is pleasant, you might be an...
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We Have the Plans, Now to Get the Development Right in Downtown East
The winner of the 2013 Urban Land Institute/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition for the downtown east area of Minneapolis has been chosen. But with existing plans in place and potential...
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You Might Be in a Walkable Neighborhood
More apologies to Jeff Foxworthy… …If the restaurants post their menus in the window, you might be in a walkable neighborhood If streets are used for more than cars, you might be in a walkable...
View ArticleBikes and Businesses Must Unite
Like the Streets.mn Voter Guide, the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition has posted answers to bicycling related questions posed to city council and mayoral candidates. Question six asks “when would you vote...
View ArticleWe Need Transit and the Urbanism that Surrounds It
Kate Wolford’s Star Tribune commentary calling for more transit was spot on. Our peer cities (Denver, Portland, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, hell, even St. Louis!) are ahead of us in terms of built rail...
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A Bold Vision for a Downtown Park and a More Beautiful City
The great mayor of Charleston, Joe Riley, likes to say “there is no reason to build anything that won’t add to the beauty of the city.” Inspiring words. It behooves the Mayor of Minneapolis, R.T....
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Let’s Get the Urban Details Right in Downtown East
On our way to the ceremony unveiling the plan for the five-block Star Tribune property in Downtown East, my son Shaw and I got off the train at the Downtown East/Metrodome station and I was asked...
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CNU 21 Dispatch 1 – Return to Daybreak
It has been seven years since this urbanist last visited Daybreak. In 2006 I wrote an article for ULI (you may have heard of it). At that time Daybreak was a few hundred homes, a school and the idea of...
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Accidental Traffic Calming in the Neighborhood
Here’s a riddle. How do you calm traffic legally but without having to go through city hall? You have two options: have a road reconstruction project; or a major storm that knocks trees down and blocks...
View ArticleComment on How to Improve the Urbanism of the New Vikings Stadium by Sam...
There are some like-minded people on the Stadium Implementation Committee. According to the Star Tribune, several of the issues I raise in this post are being recommended, particularly the 6th Street...
View ArticleComment on Accidental Traffic Calming in the Neighborhood by Matt Steele
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattaudio/9217756632/ Look, there’s still people at the businesses despite no cars out front!
View ArticleComment on The Zoning Battle Over Al’s Breakfast – A Form Based Code With a...
As Dylan said, nostalgia is death.
View ArticleComment on The Zoning Battle Over Al’s Breakfast – A Form Based Code With a...
Yes, but bacon and Wally Blues are still delicious!
View ArticleComment on Accidental Traffic Calming in the Neighborhood by Jeramey Jannene
Four-way stop signs are perhaps the most under-appreciated item in the street calming arsenal. Great observations.
View ArticleComment on How to Improve the Urbanism of the New Vikings Stadium by Joe...
[...] How to Improve the Urbanism of the New Vikings Stadium [...]
View ArticleComment on Let’s Get the Urban Details Right in Downtown East by Joe Urban »...
[...] a lot of money on some critical pieces of downtown infrastructure. The new Vikings Stadium and Downtown East area, Peavey Plaza, Nicollet Mall all are being considered for major capital...
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