On why structured parking is allegedly problematic for regional retail in general, which is causing problems at West End. This installment will look at the overall evolution of regional retail – from downtown, to the regional malls, to lifestyle centers like West End. Downtown 2.0: The Mall With the massive movement of people to the […]
Here’s a map that comes from the real estate marketing packet for Saint Paul’s famous Ford Site, the 100+ acre former truck factory in Highland. It shows the “retail” near the site, using logos and arrows. For one thing, this map shows how many Paneras and Targets are nearby. But on top of that, the […]
Here’s a cool chart from Bloomberg that shows the national consolidation of department stores into just two main brands, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. The Midwestern department store brands are in green, and among them at the bottom (marked with the yellow arrow) you’ll find Minneapolis legend, Dayton’s. Check it out: (Bonus: there’s another chart showing the […]
The Urban Planning “S” Words It seems in urban planning there’s no shortage of locker room talk to describe development and infrastructure you personally don’t like. For example, the epithet “sprawl.” Some may say “I know it when I see it,” but too often it’s just an insult with no objective definition; perhaps just a […]
The podcast this week is a conversation with Spencer Cox, a Geography PhD student at the University of Minnesota who is studying how amazon.com is changing the urban landscape in America. Cox has spent the last few years researching amazon, both its logistics and employment practices on the exurban fringe and the way that Amazon […]
Here’s new podcast for you discussing the opposite side of the Metro area from the previous episode. This week’s podcast is a conversation with John Justen, a father, small business owner, and resident of West Saint Paul who is running for city council in that suburban city of 20,000 on the north edge of Dakota County. John and I sat down at […]
Lot going on in South Minneapolis lately! Just yesterday, the public got wind of two new proposals for buildings along the Midtown Greenway–five and six story buildings on both sides of Grand Avenue directly south of the Greenway. While there has recently been lots and lots of redevelopment west of Lyndale Avenue along what is […]