Hands-down my favorite part of downtown Minneapolis this past summer was the pianos on Nicollet Avenue. Not necessarily a new idea, to be sure, but I was struck by the talent of seemingly random players and the joy it gave passers-by. Any given morning on my walk from the train to the office I’d pass […]
Since 2012, Saint Paul residents have been hosting free Jane’s Walks—‘walking conversations’ that get people out exploring their neighborhoods and talking about what matters to them. Jane’s Walks are inspired by the ideas and legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs, who fought against freeways cutting through neighborhoods and for walkable communities where people know and watch […]
It is with great joy that I have seen some of the authors here at streets.mn start to open up discussion on the meaning of “neighborhood character.” Answering the question about neighborhood character is difficult to do quantitatively, as it is hard to measure what culture is and how it is changing. That said, the […]
Jane Jacobs, neighborhood activist and urbanist, famously wrote that “cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” In this spirit people around the world host “Jane’s Walks” during the first week in May to celebrate their communities and the legacy of Jane Jacobs. These […]
Front doors are an important part of the urban landscape. Irish doors may be the most famous example (just Google it). I have successfully advocated for front doors in the past, and I even came up with the GDA, or Gehl Door Average, based on Jan Gehl’s book Cities for People, whereby only when there are 10 or more doors per 100 […]