Urban Highway Removal and YOU!
The movement to remove highways from our cities is having a bit of a moment right now! Let’s learn about why we would want to remove highways, and dive into a few such projects happening in Minnesota.
Tag Archives: placemaking
My Front Porch and Why I Love it – Volume 2
I’m “attending” the bi-annual Walk Bike Places conference virtually this week. It sucks. We should be in Indianapolis, a town I lived in for a few years in the 1990s. We should be doing walking tours and bike tours and visiting amazing spaces and seeing one another. But, we’re not. I’m sitting at the same […]
The Edina Public Works Site is a Once in a Generation Opportunity
On my bus ride home each day the bus takes me by the vacant former Edina Public Works site in the Grandview district. I’m not the first to write about this topic – there’s an entire section of the city website dedicated to this parcel of land. Dating back to 2014, the Star Tribune did […]
The Basketball Hoop
One morning in 2009, Husband pulled on his grubby work clothes and set out for the garage. He welded when he had the time, and that day, he needed to create a piece for the school’s art gala. Hours later, I glanced out the kitchen window. He had an audience. The two boys from down […]
Podcast #121: Activating Nicollet Avenue with Lisa Middag
Today I’m bringing you a conversation with Lisa Middag, the director of Nicollet Activation for the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District. What does Nicollet activation” mean? I’m glad you asked. You’ll find out all about it in just a second, but it’s the person who is charged with bringing street life and economic activity to Nicollet […]
A Walking Minute
As I walk across Minneapolis’ lakes, my pace slowed* both by the resistance of snow and wind and by my fascination with every sight and sound, I think about scale a lot. There are drivers on the bridges above me, caged up in steel, bikers and wind surfers zipping past me, skiers who half […]
Placemaking and Animal People: Why “Night in the Woods” Rocks
Night in the Woods is a video game about an anthropomorphic cat. It’s also one of the most insightful explorations of the challenges struggling communities face today — and the hidden strengths that bring those communities together. Night in the Woods tells the story of a college dropout named Mae who returns to her hometown […]
Sunday Summary – January 15, 2017
It’s been a very light week for posts, but we have one big picture post and one delightfully detail-filled post. In organizational news, the streets.mn board met for its regular meeting yesterday and we continue to work toward greater transparency and additional ways to engage with you, our readers and members. We’ll be working to […]
Tapping the Power of Place to Keep Us All Healthy
One number stands above all others as the best indicator of good health. It’s not your blood pressure, cholesterol level, average daily calories or even the age at which your grandparents die. It’s your zip code. This fact has sent shockwaves across the county. The chief aspiration of American democracy is that everyone deserves an […]
A Christmas Love Letter
When I was pregnant with my daughter my husband worked second shift, and five nights a week I was left to wrangle our then two-year old son by myself. After working all day I lacked the energy to cook, clean, and play with him. My solution was to find different people to feed and entertain […]