In the news: The Green Line officially opened yesterday and the short video Green Line Transforms U of M Campus shows how the new light rail connects the U to the city.
Other transit options this week include Reconnecting the Grid: Royalston / Downtown / Loring Park builds on Anatomy of a Proposed Urban Railway: Royalston which is the latest in the series on SWLRT stations which might exist in the future. You can also ride Metro Transit’s 3K bus and see The 3K Bus Route’s (Un)Urban Surroundings.
Big ideas and conversation starters: Mankato and the Death of Neighborhood Schools exposes some of the problems created by building the big box school at the edge of town. Edge of town development is not the sort of pattern envisioned in Net Zero: Opportunities for Neighborhood Development which highlights net zero energy targets for neighborhoods. Walker Art Center a Culprit in Badness of Hennepin/Lyndale Bottleneck has nothing to say about the art inside, but much to say about its public face and interface with the street at a difficult intersection. Finally, did you read Encouraging Diversity (and Hot Dog eating) on streets.mn last week as I suggested? You should and then read Why I Think streets.mn Matters to continue the discussion about more voices and viewpoints on streets.mn.
Audio/visual department:
- Audio: Podcast #64 – Planting Temporary Parks with Amanda Lovelee (public artist in residence in St. Paul’s public works department).
- Video. Conversations with an Engineer from Strong Towns’ Chuck Marohn is not a new video, but certainly one of my favorites which anyone with experience with local politics, street projects or engineers will find both funny and spot on. Time to walk: A brief excursion into a needless incursion on the law-abiding pedestrian’s time is all about timing and mis-timing pedestrian signals.
- Visual: A couple of charts this week with Time vs. Interest and Pedestrian Perception of Buildings. And a Map of the Day: Historic Streetcar Grid vs. Current Density. Plus a photo essay along Dayton Avenue to meet New Neighbors, Old Neighbors, Soon-to-be Neighbors and an evocative photo My Two Sense: 94 Bus at Rush Hour
Grab bag: CNU 22 And Why You Should Attend Next Year reviews and/or celebrates the recent Congress for New Urbanism conference in Buffalo, NY (and promises more posts about the conference soon). Making Money In Real Estate will not tell you how to make any, but does offer some critiques about those who have/do as well as some additional commentary about neighborhood groups and 2320 Colfax.
Although it is not officially summer until the solstice on June 21, it is really summer in most ways that count – thunderstorms, mosquitoes, end of school, outdoor concerts so it is high time to get out and enjoy the streets. Have a great week!