Walk the Talk: People-Friendly Driving and Summer Events
Plan for summer’s Open Streets events while snow’s still on the ground, more public comment on Summit Avenue and a driving class from the Bicycle Alliance.
Tag Archives: Strong Towns
Top 7 Urban Planning Podcasts (Other than Streets.mn)
You may not have noticed, but podcasting (online prerecorded radio) is in the middle of a golden age. There are literally thousands of them right now, pumping out regular shows on every topic you can imagine, from old-timey styled radio shows, to in-depth analysis on everything that has, is, or can happen on this planet, […]
Forget Big Dreams – What Would You Settle For?
In case you missed it, there was a bit of a civil war on streets.mn last legislative session following dueling columns about the 2015 transportation proposal and its advocacy coalition, Move MN. Ethan Fawley, executive director of the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, kicked things off with a piece called “Why I Support Move MN.” Strong Towns […]
In Brainerd, Business 371 is for Business
I was up in Brainerd this weekend, visiting my sister. I’ve been up there several times since she bought a house just south of downtown a year and a half ago. Brainerd has a nice, walkable downtown. It has wide sidewalks, trees and benches, and active storefronts. Compared to the neighboring Baxter strip, it’s a breath […]
Why I Do Not Support Move MN
Back in 2011, I coined the term “infrastructure cult,” not to be bombastic but to highlight a destructive mindset that has crept deep into the cultural narrative of America. The notion, fully captured by fellow Minnesotan Tom Friedman in his book, That Used to Be Us, is simple: investments in infrastructure create growth, jobs and prosperity. […]
Why Should Minnesota Cities Focus on Bikes, Anyway?
Someone asked me “So, Betsey…why bikes?” as in “Why are you focusing on bike advocacy in particular?” It’s a good question since reading back in time on my blog suggests that “just bikes” is a significant contraction of my interests from city government, urban planning and economic development. Also a good question since my goal […]
A Twin Cities Paving Moratorium
Last Wednesday (February 4) I attended a public presentation by Ramsey County engineers for a proposed redesign of the Randolph and Lexington Avenue intersection. They are proposing to spend a million and a half dollars to purchase four properties on the northeast corner of the intersection and bulldoze them to make space for a dedicated […]
Saturday Event: “Human Scale” at Piazza on the Mall
streets.mn readers are encouraged to join the Strong Towns National Gathering’s outdoor movie screening of “Human Scale” at the Piazza on the Mall. Here’s the trailer: It’s tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8:30 PM. Make sure to bring a coat! Get more information here.
Sunday Summary – September 7, 2014
Perhaps streets.mn writers are busy back at school, because it was a pretty light week. Here’s all the news sliced, diced and summarized: Audio/visual department: MnDOT Multimodal Plan Video Asks Tough Questions asks one question – “What is multimodal transportation?” – and the answers are illuminating although not always encouraging. Two photos this week show us […]
Strong Towns: This Is Not a Conference
streets.mn members are invited to join the Strong Towns National Gathering. It’ll be local. It’ll be educational. It’ll be September 12 – 14, 2014. This is not a conference, but a gathering. Strong Towns is hosting it’s first National Gathering in two weeks in Minneapolis, but it’s aim is entirely different than that of a “conference“. […]