Saint Paul’s History vs. Saint Paul’s Future
What happens when “history” becomes a gatekeeping mechanism to dictate who lives where — especially when voiced by “white hobbyist historians”?
Tag Archives: development
A History of Minnesota’s Highways Part One
Some of Minnesota’s roads predate statehood. First in a series looking at how our state went from dirt trails to 10-lane interstates.
Hospitals Race to the Cornfields
Previously on this site there was a post on the phenomenon on schools relocating from urban neighborhoods to areas with more space on the fringes of town. Schools have their issues, like parking spaces in the case of high schools for students arriving by car, and space for athletic fields, but the fundamental model of […]
What Would You Say to the Mayor-Elect? (Round One)
It’s post-election recovery time in Minneapolis (and St. Paul)! Residents and businesses across the core of our metro area are digesting what the changes in leadership will mean, and at Cuningham Group, that turned into hosting an event called “Dear Mayor-Elect … Congratulation, Now The Work Begins” as part of their Urban Currents series. I was […]
Saint Kate’s Parking Lot Wants to Pave the Trees
A friend, who happens to be a Saint Catherine’s alum, told me a tale about the not too distant past. The city of Saint Paul was looking to run Prior Avenue straight through Saint Kate’s campus. Things like that take time and as soon as the nuns at the school heard the city’s plan they worked […]
Can the West Loop Still Happen?
If you asked one of the thousands of new Minneapolis residents who moved in since 2010 “What are the borders of North Loop?”, you may find they consider the western border to be the 4th Street freeway viaduct. Despite the neighborhood continuing on west up to I-94, the viaduct walls off a landscape of low […]
Penn & 66th is the best small business district in Richfield. Why replace it?
The supposed “problems” of Penn Avenue in Richfield really aren’t problems at all.
Checking Back with a Saint Paul Snelby Decision
Do you know what happens not nearly often enough? Looking back at urban design debates of the past and checking to see how they played out. For example, streets.mn writer and board member Sam Newberg had a series of posts he had started where he’d look at developments that celebrated their 10th anniversary, and see […]
The Developing Thrivent Building Story
As of right now, Thrivent Financial owns a collection of surface parking lots and one uniquely shaped 18-story tower in Downtown Minneapolis. For what seems like ages, their tower loomed over a vacant corridor of the city where even surface parking was off limits, contracted only to the employees of Thrivent Financial. But following the […]
Victoria Park: A Short History of Intentions
The vigorous and spirited debate about the future of the Ford Plant site in Highland Park got me thinking about another large, polluted, previously industrial site in Saint Paul. The history of development of Victoria Park, which is bounded by West 7th Street, Otto Avenue, and Shepard Road, offers a lesson in plans changing over […]