Suddenly, it is winter here on the streets of Minnesota. With only scattered comments this week, perhaps readers were busy putting wax on skis and winter tires on their vehicle of choice rather than writing. No matter, here’s the week shoveled into tidy piles and not just tracked into the house:
Big ideas department
If You Can’t Pay For It, Don’t Try to Build It considers a big road project in Mankato/Blue Earth County which is being planned and but still not funded; this post continues the theme of resource (mis)allocation begun in How to Blow $20,000,000 on 1,100 People.
Other ideas department
Snowlessons begins the winter season by observing sneckdowns, buried sidewalks, and other obstructions to active transportation. Chasin’ the Train is not a good idea, but raises questions about transit reliability as well as risky behavior – if we’re confident the next train will be here soon, will we chase the one we see at the station about to close its doors?
Density department
Several posts this week consider density and its advantages. Creating Transitopolis considers how to build a “transit city” including increasing the density of people and resources over a smaller space (and much more). Minneapolis Should Rethink the Above the Falls Master Plan reconsiders the ten-year old plan and suggests higher densities coupled with a great riverfront could make this area walkable, transit friendly, and a great place to live and work. The Broad Base of ADU Boosters was posted in advance of a Minneapolis Planning Commission meeting now passed where the proposed ADU ordinance was considered, but the comments about why the incremental increase in density from ADUs give a variety of perspectives about why ADUs could be a good addition.
Community service department
Franklin Library Celebrates 100 Years of Service documents the library’s first century which is the history of a neighborhood as it changes and also a history of library services changing to meet those needs.
Audiovisual department:
Stone Arch is a short video around and over the bridge, Light Rail by Jeremy Messersmith (Music Not Much Video) has one picture with music, and the longer (approx.. 30 minutes) The Walking Revolution – 2013 has all the experts from the Surgeon General on down telling us why walking is wonderful. Transportation Emojis: An Objective Analysis reveals 74 transportation-related iPhone emojis offering an “effective, professional way to communicate about complex transportation topics.” Flood Lore from Yore and More is another bike trip and photo essay (others are here); this one is along the river during its June flood with the added information of historic flood photos, too. And, of course, Charts of the Day this week: More Vehicle Trends, Minneapolis Tax Levy vs. State LGA Funding, Operating Speeds Across Different Modes over Time, Vehicle Sales vs. Gas Price over Time
Finally, this past Thursday was Give to the Max day in Minnesota, but any day can be Give to the .MN Day. Consider becoming a member of streets.mn-; we’re an all-volunteer operation, but still need to pay for web hosting and other website infrastructure. Have a great week!