Successful City Parks Create Safe, Inclusive Communities
When public parks incorporate measures to make the space feel safe and welcome, it fosters positive social interaction across diverse communities.
Category: Parks
St. Paul’s ‘Biblical’ Flood: The Story of Highland Creek
According to Dakota legend, Minnesota was once the scene of a big flood. One of those floods made Highland Creek the highest volume stream in prehistoric St. Paul.
The Arrival of Playgrounds in St. Paul
The 1904 opening of the first enduring playground in St. Paul launched the lauded system of community centers and playgrounds we currently enjoy in the city.
The Largest, Hardest-to-Find Park in St. Paul
Hidden behind industrial facilities and a maze of streets, Pig’s Eye Regional Park is St. Paul’s hidden — yet unpolished — gem. The park’s peaceful nature makes a visit more than worthwhile, yet it demands some revitalization and decontamination, efforts which are being pioneered by the Great River Conservancy.
Camping for Urbanists
Going all-in on urbanism doesn’t mean you have to give up on spending time in the outdoors; in fact, many urbanists love going camping! We’ll talk to a city planner about creating car-free camping opportunities, and then follow a group on a hare-brained winter bike trip to ski and camp at Afton.
“An Eruption of Springs”: The Diverting Story of Cascade Creek
Cascade Creek was named after a waterfall in the W 7th St neighborhood of St. Paul. The stream was most famously associated with Ayd Mill.
Rondo Park Now Features Outdoor Exercise Equipment
Though it has some resemblance to one, it’s not a playground for adults: it’s an outdoor fitness park.
Hidden Falls, Hidden No More
This month, with the opening of a new tunnel and walkway under MRB, a new viewing platform, and the partial daylighting of Hidden Falls Creek, Hidden Falls is ready to be discovered by many more visitors.
The Cedar-Isles Master Plan Needs Your Voice!
As Minneapolis Parks & Recreation works on the Cedar-Isles Master Plan, it’s important to get engagement from a broader group of park users.
National Links: Olmstead’s 200th Birthday
Last Tuesday would have been famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th birthday. His thinking on design would change the way we think about urban parks and the restorative nature of green space in urban places. While most know of his most famous work of Central Park in New York City, he designed as part of his practice hundreds of other parks around the country. A new guide features some of these lesser-known spaces.