National Links: Battery Reuse and Mapping Sidewalks
Social problems on Los Angeles transit, the history of Minneapolis city boundaries and more in this week’s National Links.
Tag Archives: maps
I-94 in the Union Park District: A History of Prioritizing Speed Over Community
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is planning the first major reconstruction since I-94 opened. This got us thinking about what Union Park was like before the highway was built.
![Aamn 2020 Regional Map For 8 X 11 G01v01p2[1]closeup](https://media.streets.mn/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/aamn_2020_regional_map_for_8_x_11_g01v01p21closeup.jpg)
The Minnesota Intercity Passenger Rail Plan – Getting Back On Track?
Public transportation policy and funding in Minnesota over the past several years – if not decades – has focused on roads, bridges and airports. As Minnesota’s population changes, these modes alone cannot satisfy all of our transportation needs. The time has come for investment in a truly multi-modal transportation system. Many Midwestern states have invested […]
Growing Awareness of Climate in Community Planning
I don’t remember how this ended up in my inbox, but the Great Plains Institute (GPI) recently published an article evaluating how Met Council-area communities are using the comprehensive planning process to address climate-related issues. As part of the state laws governing land use in the metro area, metro area municipalities are required to create […]
A Look at Future Rapid Bus Lines
A wave of faster limited stop transit services will arrive in the next few years. The Orange Line BRT (I-35W Minneapolis-Burnsville, replacing Route 535) is fully funded and construction is underway. The B Line (overlaid on Route 21 Selby-Lake), D Line (overlaid on Route 5 Chicago-Fremont), E Line (overlaid on Route 6 Southdale-Hennepin-4th Street SE), […]
Who’s Filing All These Property Valuation Appeals?
Every Spring in Minneapolis, Nextdoor.com blows up when the annual property assessments went out. Many neighbors ask questions and give tips on how to convince the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County that the real estate they own is actually less valuable than the assessor thinks. I should probably point out that there are some […]
Map Monday: New Construction and Vacancy Rates in Minneapolis
We know that Minneapolis and it environs have a historically, dangerously low vacancy rate. The proportion of homes that are for sale or for rent is far less than a healthy five percent, so renters and buyers compete for empty units, and sellers and landlords make more money than they would otherwise. We need more […]
A History of Minnesota’s Interstates, Part One
Previously I’ve written a six part series of Minnesota’s trunk highway system. Now it’s time to go back periodically for topics that were skipped as outside the main story arc, or that were deserving of separate articles. One of these is the story of our interstate system. The Dawn of the Dream As late as […]
Map Monday: An Urban Transit-Type Portrayal of the Upper Mississippi
A Wisconsin cartographer’s creation of “river transit maps” shows how our communities connect in ways other than freeways and centers nature among us.
Minneapolis 2040 Opposition: A Look At The Signs
High property wealth and homeownership is the connecting thread among those strongly opposed to the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The Strib recently reported on rumors that city planners will scale back on the nationally heralded plan to legalize fourplexes citywide. The new plan could instead allow for triplexes everywhere. This, among other compromises, shifts the […]