Hello again! I cannot believe it’s been two whole weeks since the first ever streets.mn ...
Hello again! I cannot believe it’s been two whole weeks since the first ever streets.mn Virtual Happy Hour! Well we’re going to do it again, thanks to the gracious Zoom-mastery virtues of our host, Glen Johnson. Stop by and share stories about walks, bike rides, visions for the cities or public places in your neck […]
The other day, I talked for over an hour with an old friend who now lives in Madrid. They teach English in a public school in the capital and have been on lockdown for the past two weeks. With over 110,00 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Spain, lockdown for them means that only people with dogs […]
Our mission here at streets.mn highlights the value of inclusive conversations. In order to encourage and amplify underrepresented voices, streets.mn is hosting an online F/T/W/NB (femme, trans, women, non-binary) meet-up next week. If you identify as femme/trans/woman/non-binary, you’re welcome to join us for a casual meet-up of the streets.mn ftw/nb community! You should especially consider joining […]
In a noteworthy scoop, streets.mn editors have obtained a dossier of bicycle infrastructure concepts from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). In the interest of public disclosure, we are sharing them at this juncture. The files convey a number of potential designs that appear to have been rejected through usual agency protocols, part of an ongoing […]
I am aware many Saint Paul people have a sense of and celebrate the fact their city is special in various ways. On the other hand, it seems to me most Minneapolis people acknowledge what their various places have to offer although they do not have an identity with their city, while at the same […]
Every day at The Overhead Wire we collect news about cities and send the links to our email list. At the end of the week we take some of the most popular stories and post them to Greater Greater Washington, a group blog similar to streets.mn that focuses on urban issues in the D.C. region. […]
Front Door Boarding Suspended Onboard Metro Transit Buses After pressure from activists, last Wednesday, Metro Transit began to follow in the footsteps of other agencies who have taken preventative measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. They began to institute back-door-only boarding on many of its routes. Metro Transit became the second agency in the […]
You may have heard about the Rethinking I-94 process that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has begun. When I hear those words, as a person concerned (alarmed!) about our climate crisis, I assume it means, you know, rethinking Interstate 94. Like: Do we need a highway through our cities? Could it be filled in, […]
Is it me? Or is everyone who is brave enough to go outdoors these days a little friendlier, a bit relieved to see another human being? With a record number of people unemployed, and only “essential” workers (a term that makes me feel dispensable) now allowed to report to their offices or shop floors, fewer […]
I heard you groan: “Why are we still talking about Ayd Mill Road, especially amidst a global pandemic?!?” Well, my friend, we’re talking about it because our Public Works Department and highway departments around America are continuing to pave things. Like a Cyborg Terminator Coronavirus, highway departments will keep paving until the day civilization ends […]
aBRT is by far the most important transit project in the state. While it doesn’t get the same attention as pricier projects like the light rail or suburban BRT, aBRT has proven to be the single most effective and cost-efficient way to grow ridership and improve service quality in the Twin Cities. However, we are […]
We liked the last Virtual Happy Hour so much we’re doing it again, folks. Fellow streets.mn Board Member and Zoom-meister Glen Johnson has agreed to moderate again. Hang out online with other streets.mn folks, and share stories about how the recent virus-related changes to your life are affecting you. We’re even going ot have a […]
Early last week, I accompanied my spouse on his morning bicycle commute to the hospital. I do this every once in a while, when he’s working on a weekend or I have the day off. It’s pleasant to ride together, and to start the day off with fresh air, exercise, and bike chat. This ride, […]
In January, San Francisco closed a near 2-mile stretch of Market Street to cars while I was in town recently. I wasn’t expecting it. I already finalized my plans to visit family for the Lunar New Year when I learned that San Francisco would be closing lower Market Street to cars while I was visiting. […]
Every day at The Overhead Wire we collect news about cities and send the links to our email list. At the end of the week we take some of the most popular stories and post them to Greater Greater Washington, a group blog similar to streets.mn that focuses on urban issues in the D.C. region. […]
Well, to begin, please stay home when and if you can and avoid close contact with people for a while. Preventing a huge outbreak that would overwhelm our healthcare system is critical right now. But with that out of the way, here’s something I’ve been thinking about. This spring, I’ve been teaching a urban geography […]
Going around on Twitter, housing advocates are sharing maps of various zipcodes showing new rental listings on Zillow within the last 14 days. While we do expect listings to go up in spring, a key factor in this is airBNB markets melting down during COVID-19 travel restriction, both legal and social. Here is Zillow for […]
How has Coronavirus affected your neighborhood? There are several components to the way neighborhoods react: people, business, transportation, etc. Some reactions are common, some unique to each neighborhood. So yesterday I decided to document the most public & specific of these reactions: businesses. Everyone needs to shop & run errands, so how does the pandemic […]
Transit agencies across the nation are feeling the brunt of the coronavirus, and Metro Transit is no exception. While Metro Transit does not have definite numbers, Howie Padilla, Metro Transit’s spokesperson, says that “Ridership has definitely decreased.” But they’re not worried about how much ridership has gone down right now. “Our priority is to serve […]
Hey! Feeling cooped up? Missing your public space fix? Want to chat about streets, cities, and “social distancing”? Well, come hang out on Zoom with us. Some members of the streets.mn board are hosting the first ever virtual happy hour. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling cooped up and would love to chat […]
