Hub and Spokes

New Vikings Stadium: WHY?

2011-05-11T10:43:00.000-04:00

Bicycle Rights (Portlandia)

2011-04-20T11:59:00.004-04:00

I am back, and just in case you have been living under a rock.

The Housing Crisis: Investors

2010-07-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

This NY Times opinion piece by Paul Reyes left a bad taste in my mouth. What Mr. Reyes seems to be missing is his own point. Alan, the savior of neighborhoods, is simply continuing a streak of predatory lending and crap renovations. The result will be owners with limited incomes who will need to make major repairs down the road. Guess what? These homes have no equity so these new homeowners will have to pay out of pocket or get more questionable lending to make these repairs. It seems the cycle continues on and on.

From the article:

True, the very speculators who helped lead this economy into a crisis are becoming an increasing part of the solution, especially as banks continue to shy away from financing, preferring instead to work with “all cash” offers. But if banks persist in their financial stubbornness, you could very well see such investors filling the financing void for a portion of the housing market — a longstanding trend known as “owner financing.”
Here’s how it works: Alan buys property on the cheap — he sets his threshold at $50,000; other investors I’ve met set theirs even lower. He makes a few repairs (or not, depending on the condition of the property) and puts out a sign to attract a buyer.

In many cases, in poor and blue-collar neighborhoods especially, the would-be homeowner has trouble getting traditional financing from the bank. And this is where Alan and others fill the void left by the banks, financing a mortgage or even leasing with an option to buy. In the past, Alan had success financing mortgages to new buyers for a low down payment (around $5,000) and a reasonable rate of interest (around 10 percent). To protect himself — and to give him a return on his money so he could reinvest it — he’d set a balloon rate, in which the new buyer was given three to five years to find a conventional mortgage before the entire sum on the house was due.

I firmly believe we don't have a housing market currently. We have not bottomed out and new buyers looking at rehab of foreclosures are going to loose out in the end. We need some national leadership right now and a program to support it. More tax credits for first time home buyers are not the answer.

Portland's Worst Enemy: Itself

2010-07-12T08:05:00.006-04:00

When neighborhoods, cities, and regions become to successful that people want to move there in droves it can sometimes have the impact that is not what that city had intended. Many places are the victim of their own success and it seems Portland these days is having that struggle about keeping its identity, while being on the national and international spot light.

This NY Times article explains:

Portland ranks high nationally for its rate of entrepreneurship, as measured by things like self-employment and the number of small businesses. Even during the recession, some local independent restaurants and manufacturers have increased sales and opened new outlets.
While other states lost workers, Oregon’s labor force grew because people kept coming. The livability crowd led the way: young, white, well-educated people drawn to an outdoor — and local — lifestyle.
“We get people who self-select,” said Joe Cortright, a longtime economist here. “And there’s no fervor like the converted.”
That does not mean the local economy has figured out how to absorb the stream of newcomers: the Portland area’s unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in May, compared with 9.7 percent nationally.
As the city’s corner coffee shops, indie bands and handmade bicycles have gained national and international renown, becoming — gasp — brand names, cries of corporatism have followed them.

The question seems to be can Portland keep its identity while being a victim of its own success? I guess we will just have to wait and see how they manage this over the coming years.

Retrofitting the Suburbs: Good Idea?

2010-07-09T05:00:00.001-04:00

Housing Choice that is affordable

2010-07-08T05:00:00.000-04:00

Two articles this week have proven that what we need in this country is not a fight of urban vs suburban and ultimately which is better. The NY Times article profiled this couple who had to move from the city to the suburbs to get what they wanted at the price point they could afford.

Ultimately, deciding which lifestyle best suits you — and where to buy — comes down to personal preferences. But if the deciding factor is the relative cost of each, the answer is quantifiable, even if it not immediately obvious given the different tax rates and other variables.
So we set out to do the math, based on an apartment and a house in the New York metropolitan area. Here’s what we found: a suburban lifestyle costs about 18 percent more than living in the city. Even a house in the suburbs with a price tag substantially lower than an urban apartment will, on a monthly basis, often cost more to keep running. And then there’s the higher cost of commuting from the suburbs, or the expense of buying a car (or two) and paying the insurance.

The NY Times math is very fuzzy and doesn't really prove much at all. Urban living can be quit costly, but so can the suburbs. The choices you make in regards to both is what really dictates costs. With the unaffordability of homes in NYC these folks decided to go to the suburbs. A clear lack of housing choice that is affordable for all.

In this post Joe Kotkin blasts Richard Florida for pushing a "back to the city" theme when that is not what is really happening. He blames the over abundance of downtown condos as one reason people aren't excited about the city. He clearly believes that the Amercian Dream is a singly family home. Kotkin states:

But the great migration back to the city hasn't occurred. Over the past decade the percentage of Americans living in suburbs and single-family homes has increased. Meanwhile, demographer Wendell Cox's analysis of census figures show that a much-celebrated rise in the percentage of multifamily housing peaked at 40% of all new housing permits in 2008, and it has since fallen to below 20% of the total, slightly lower than in 2000.

The problem again is that we deem suburbs single family homes on large lots and cities are high rise condo buildings. This simply is not the truth when it comes to many urban and suburban neighborhoods. Actually many places have a decent amount of mixed housing (single family, duplex, apartments, condos, ect.) so I am not sure why we have drawn this line in the sand.

What we need to discuss is how to provide housing opportunity for all people regardless of where they want to live. Not everyone in the suburbs wants a single family home and not all city dwellers want to live with 40 other units. Housing choice needs to be a key factor and the cost of that housing. I find all these arguments wrong because there are suburbs, long island for example, that are denser than some of our biggest cities. What we need to do is find a way to integrate these different housing typologies so that we can accommodate all our current and future residents.

Southwest LRT in Minneapolis

2010-07-07T05:00:00.000-04:00

The Great Plains: Making a Come Back?

2010-07-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

For people who live in the Great Plain states this news is no big surprise. For quite some time people have known that salaries are relatively high when associated with the cost of living. A dollar goes a lot further in North Dakota than say on the east or west coasts. What also is a key factor is the high quality of life that people enjoy. I have always thought there would be a steady migration to the area because good jobs can be had, housing is affordable, commutes are short, and schools are good. Regardless of the suburban or urban conflict, living in one the Great Plain states has its advantages once you get past the stereotypes.

Joel Kotkin has this great article and explains what is happening to attract these new comers:

The trend has been particularly strong in urban areas. Based on employment growth over the last decade, the North Dakota cities of Bismarck and Fargo rank in the top 10 of nearly 400 metropolitan areas, according to data analyzed by economist Michael Shires for Forbes and NewGeography.com. Much of that growth has come in high-wage jobs. In Bismarck, the number of high-paying energy jobs has increased by 23 percent since 2003, while jobs in professional and business services have shot up 40 percent.

That’s not bad for a region best known by East Coast pundits for the movie Fargo. It got so bad a decade ago that even local boosters suggested North Dakota jettison the “North” to make the place seem less forbidding. Two Eastern academics, Frank J. Popper and Deborah Popper, predicted that the region would, in a generation, become almost totally depopulated, and proposed that Washington speed things along and create “the ultimate national park.” Their suggestion: restock the buffalo.
Nowhere is this potential clearer than in Fargo, which is emerging as a high-tech hub. Doug Burgum, from nearby Arthur, N.D., founded Great Plains Software in the mid-1980s. Burgum says he saw potential in the engineering grads pumped out by North Dakota State University, many of whom worked in Fargo’s large and expanding specialty-farm-equipment industry. “My business strategy is to be close to the source of supply,” says Burgum. “North Dakota gave us access to the raw material of college students.”

While Fargo is mostly known for the movie (although very little of the actual film takes place in Fargo) it might just be the next big urban destination in the upper Midwest after the Twin Cities.

Planes, Trains, and Flying Cars

2010-07-02T05:00:00.001-04:00

Once again we prove that we just don't get it. We need fewer cars and planes and a lot more trains. The solution is not the flying car. Maybe these flying cars (which are right out of Disney cartoons) can be parked at the new Disney McMansions?

Safeway leads the pack

2010-07-01T05:00:00.002-04:00

I live in a wasteland of big box stores with miles and miles of asphalt. Well, not entirely true, but the Twin Cities is plagued with parking lot footprints that exceed the footprint of the store it is supplying parking for. I get frustrated because this is such a simple fix to create a more user friendly store in the core urban areas and even the suburbs. As with most things, we need an example we can point to so that the large retailers can see that it actually works.

This safeway in Georgetown is a becon of light:

The recently rebuilt "Social Safeway" on Wisconsin Avenue NW, at the northern edge of Georgetown, is not just another remodeled supermarket. It represents a positive evolution in thinking about merchandising strategy and about being a good citizen through pedestrian-friendly architecture and urban design.

This new supermarket follows a completely different set of rules than its predecessor. Safeway and other supermarket chains traditionally have adhered dogmatically to rules about selection of sites for stores and, in particular, rules about how such sites should be developed. And one of the primary rules was: Cars rule.

For decades, supermarket thinking was driven by one dominant premise. Motorists approaching a shopping destination absolutely had to see -- and expected to see -- a parking lot with plenty of spaces directly in front of the supermarket. Otherwise, it was assumed, they would drive elsewhere to shop. Further, part of the gospel was the belief that setting back a supermarket from the road gives drivers more time to see the store and read its signage.

Maybe we can bring this new concept to the Midway (picture above) in the heart of the Twin Cities.

Dubuque going Green

2010-06-30T05:00:00.002-04:00

The residents of Dubuque, Iowa, have signed onto a unique experiment to revitalize their city though a focus on sustainability. Local historian and museum director Jerry Enzler shares a little bit of the background — where Dubuque came from — and how and why this focus on sustainability is important for his city’s future.

Redefining Human Capital

2010-06-29T05:00:00.000-04:00

Cities seem to want the quick fix. These days the quick fix is paying Richard Florida large amounts of money to come to your city to "fix" whatever ails you. Create class, Human capital are all just gimmicks about how to attract or retain your residents. I think the recession has leveled the playing Field because the cool cities aren't that cool when you have been looking for work for 24 months and unemployment is about to run out and your $500 dollar rent (for that 3 bedroom you share with 5 people) is due.

Vincent Valk over at Next American City has this to say:

Urbanophile, aka Aaron M. Renn, suggests that cities work at finding a niche and exploiting it, rather than all chasing the same goals. “The question is what specific types of people you can attract to your city,” Renn says.

This hints at something larger, I think: an evaluation of what we really mean when we say “human capital.” People hear about “human capital” and “talent” and, at least in urbanist circles, tend to think vaguely of freelance graphic designers bringing bikes on to light rail while happily sipping flavored coffee (yes, I am stereotyping). But the world only needs so many designers, researchers and programmers. Is a good mechanic or electrician not “human capital”? How about high-tech factory workers, or medical assistants, or traveling salesmen

What does it mean to redefine human capital in your city?

Urban Farming in Birmingham, AL

2010-06-28T10:53:00.003-04:00

The new movement has started and it seems we are all finally catching up. Urban Farming was an oxymoron for years. Why would we farm in the middle of dense, dirty cities. With the recent events it seems that land has become affordable enough that we can not use it for more than just development of retail, commercial, or residential. Green space is all the rage, but urban farming can provide a real benefit for neighborhoods with no real healthy food options.

Jones Valley Farm is just one of our recent urban successes. From the Grist article:

In fall 2001, Edwin Marty and Page Allison drove across the country, back home, to start a farm. That might be when the Breaking Through Concrete idea began.

Edwin and Page had been living on the West Coast, farming in Baja, Mexico, and instructing youth at Washington’s Pacific Crest Outward Bound School. The young 30-somethings belonged on the West Coast, surfing and teaching among the burgeoning, youthful tribe of educated, worldly organic farmers. But Birmingham needed them more than any of the progressive, farm-friendly towns out west.

Jones Valley Urban Farm began on a skinny vacant lot in Birmingham’s Southside neighborhood. Abandoned houses surrounded the weed-and-rubble-strewn plot. A corner convenience store across the street sold everything but wholesome food. The afternoon ice-cream truck supplied the freshest food for miles. That is to say, this food desert was not much different than most neighborhoods in downtown Birmingham and much of Southside. But, just up the street, Frank Stitt’s James Beard Award–winning restaurants were catching the first wave of the national Slow Food movement and tapping into the regional bounty of the Deep South, from Apalachicola Bay oysters to Black Belt, Alabama, produce. And every Saturday in the summer, the Pepper Place Market, about 20 blocks away, sold produce and fruit from Alabama farms to a growing consumer pool.

This would be great to replicate in our neighborhoods in cities through out the U.S.

Square foot gardens

2010-06-18T05:00:00.000-04:00

The Green Machine: Chicago

2010-06-16T11:08:00.001-04:00

OH NO! Guerrilla Gardeners

2010-06-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

As usual cities can't even take advantage of residents that are willing to spend their own time and money to beautify the city. I for one am more than happy to see sprouting vacant lots, instead of trash ridden vacant lots. Guerrilla Gardeners seem to have gone to far and have come out of the shadows planting directly on city owned land.

From the Pioneer Press:

Tully Hall doesn't look like a criminal.She pays her taxes, loves her family and obeys the law — with one glaring exception.Hall is a guerrilla gardener. She plants flowers and vegetables on land she doesn't own — like a growing number of undercover green thumbs emerging from the shadows.

To Hall and her furtive cohorts, beautifying ugly land can't be a bad thing. "All it means is that a little bit of ground is being improved," said Hall, gazing at her 8-by-12-foot garden on city property behind her town home.

I say take Hall away like the criminal she is! What is even more ironic is that with all that is happening in the world this made the front page of Monday's newspaper.

New Streetcar Plan for Oakland - Cost $987

2010-06-14T05:00:00.001-04:00

Since states and cities have less and less funds these days it would seem that to get things accomplished and cutting expenses would be at the top of the priority list. Anybody who has worker with any municipal body about a future project realizes that it can get studied to death and they pay a lot for those studies. Stanford University undergraduate Daniel Jacobson has started a new trend without even knowing it yet. Jacobson decided, with the help of a small grant, to design and do the feasibility work for a Oakland downtown Streetcar line. This seems like a great win win situation for everyone.

From the SF Chronicle:

The 20-year-old native of Point Richmond spent nine months of independent study producing a detailed and ingenious plan to revive Oakland's economy: build a 2.5-mile streetcar line that runs through the heart of the city, connecting Piedmont to Jack London Square. The plan would create up to 24,000 jobs, housing opportunities for an equal number of new residents and breathe life back into downtown Oakland.

Jacobson's plan is an impressive and comprehensive 140-page how-to manual on how to build, run, operate and finance a successful streetcar project in Oakland.

He lays out a route that would link two BART stations, the Oakland ferry, Amtrak and main AC Transit lines. He projects residential and commercial growth along the rail line, identifying 125 acres of underutilized land adjacent to the line. He provides job projections for the next 20 years. He also provides a road map for local, state and federal funding to pay for the $92 million price tag of the streetcar line.

Most students in urban planning, architecture, and design need to complete real world project in order to graduate. While some of this cross pollination has been happening (I remember working on a Staten Island project in graduate school), would it not behove cities to seek out programs and students to work on some real projects? The students get great experience and the city you get a clear vision and feasibility of the project. Seems like a great partnership in these budget cutting days. You can see the full study and plan here.

Jay Walljasper hearts St. Anthony Park, St. Paul

2010-06-10T05:00:00.001-04:00

From the Line:

Former editor of Utne Reader, author of The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking (New Society Publishers/Project for Public Spaces) and of the forthcoming What We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons, Jay Walljasper likes to stroll, explore, lounge at cafe tables, chill on park benches, meet friends, window-shop, and just generally enjoy the micro-environments called neighborhoods in the world's cities. He's got a trained eye for the little things that make neighborhoods great, and a sense of the history that lies behind those details. One of his favorite Twin Cities neighborhoods is St. Anthony Park, in western St. Paul. Join him as he strolls Como Avenue, pops into College Park, and celebrates the street life of this urban village.

Get on the Bus!

2010-06-09T05:00:00.001-04:00

I really can't remember that last time I rode the bus, but this was a great story by MPR the other day about bus ridership in the Twin Cities region. While the good news is that ridership is up, this story really demonstrates that how our 50 years of sprawl are making it difficult for some to use public transit.

From the MPR article:

Americans collectively make billions of trips a year -- to work, shopping, to the corner store. But the number of trips made via mass transit is still a very small piece of the pie -- just 2 percent, according to some national research. On a given workday in the Twin Cities, fewer than 10 percent of commuter trips are by transit, according to the Metropolitan Council. But the selective use of trip statistics irks Twin Cities Metro Transit spokesman Bob Gibbons. Gibbons says a more meaningful measure is to look at how many people ride buses at critical times -- at rush hour, for example.
Metro Transit says its surveys show lots of people want to ride the bus. But there aren't any bus routes close to them, or bus trips take too long, or buses don't run often enough. The excuses, of course, are often true. Laura Graves describes as "fantastic" the bus service from Edina to downtown Minneapolis, when she worked there. Now she lives in Minnetonka with a job way across town in Woodbury, a commute that is a transit desert. "I investigated the bus option and there's nothing, there is absolutely nothing. There wasn't a way to make it work," said Graves. So, every workday she endures a 45-60 minute commute each way.

The answer is clear that people need to move closer to work, but we still need to build a strong transportation network that will provide real options for those people living in first and second ring suburbs to get to work in other first and second ring suburbs. The reality is that many of our job centers are no longer in the city center.

Bike Sharing has Arrived: Nice Ride MN

2010-06-08T05:00:00.001-04:00

Our new bike share program in Minneapolis kicks off this Thursday. Over the weekend the docking stations have sprung up like daisies after a long rain. While I still remain a skeptic, I must admit that I am excited to see this infrastructure being put in place and will be happy to try it out in a few days.

The Start Tribune had this to say:

The annual celebration of alternative commuting will culminate Thursday with the official launch of a bike-sharing system in Minneapolis that organizers say will be the largest of its kind in the United States. Nice Ride will feature more than 700 neon green and sky-blue but otherwise sensible bikes docked at 65 solar-powered, automated kiosks around Minneapolis, where anyone with a credit card can check one out for a ride.

The idea, said Bill Dossett, executive director of Nice Ride MN, is to provide short-distance, fuel-free transportation (and exercise) to people who aren't bike commuters. "What it's all about is to make it easy for people who got downtown a different way to use a bike to take short trips when they're downtown," Dossett said. "They're for people who might like to take a three-mile trip to go buy something, or meet some friends, go hear music, whatever."

I'll have a full report in a few days after I take one of these bikes for a spin. I will say they are putting the bike stations close enough to make this a real viable option for the everyday person. In the meantime you can read all about the program here.

The City We Imagined / The City We Made

2010-06-07T05:00:00.002-04:00

From Urban Omnibus:

In that light, Archipelago seeks to explore how the physical environment of New York is used and experienced in one neighborhood in each of the five boroughs. Each of these communities has undergone changes both visible and invisible in the past ten years, wrought by development in some cases and disinvestment in others. Each defies preconceptions while attesting to the baffling complexity of the city’s systems, from the world’s largest food distribution facility to the AirTrain JFK, from the luxury high-rises along the High Line to the mobile homes beneath Goethals Bridge. And each is worthy of a visit.

If Archipelago whets your appetite for some intrepid urban exploration, then read some basic information about each neighborhood below and get inspired to visit the New Fulton Fish Market, ride the AirTrain just for fun, go shopping on the Fulton Mall, wander the industrial fringes of Staten Island, and, of course, stroll along the High Line. As you do so, consider that these sites do not possess their singular senses of place by accident. These neighborhoods are the way they are because of a layering of choices made by planners, policy-makers, developers, designers and citizens.
New New York 2001-2010: The City We Imagined / The City We Made is on view until June 26th at 250 Hudson Street (entrance on Dominick). Stay tuned for info on summertime venue for the exhibition starting July 4th weekend.

Is New Urbanism Working?

2010-06-03T05:00:00.000-04:00

I have long been skeptical of New Urbanism. While I agree with them on principles, I find that the actual developments tend to be not in line with my way of thinking. I have been following this New Urbanist development in Atlanta and I must say that I am very intrigued. Is Glenwood Park a hold over from the past or our new bright future?

From the NPR Story:

Many New Urbanist developments are located in suburbs, but the movement's influence is increasingly showing up in cities like Portland and Denver. Glenwood Park, which has more than 300 townhouses and condominiums, is one of several developments arising near downtown Atlanta. Its founder was Charles Brewer, who also started the Internet company Mindspring.
Brewer was on the lookout for a new business opportunity when local architects introduced him to the writings of New Urbanist pioneer Andres Duany. He was hooked.

Is Glenwood Park a model we should be following, or are the New Urbanists tied to a past that is no longer relevant for today? You can find out more about Glenwood Park here.

Central Corridor and Complete Streets

2010-06-02T05:00:00.002-04:00

University Avenue is the main thorough fare to get from St. Paul to Minneapolis without using one of the many freeways we have in the Twin Cities. University Avenue is also where the new LRT line will be running in 2014. Over 80% of on street parking is going to be eliminated and only two lanes of auto traffic will be allowed. With the new design that will accommodate the new LRT line one this has been lacking: bikes. Bikes using University Avenue have never really made it into the discussion or even considered in the planning process for the new line.

Russ Stark, Saint Paul Council Member, had this to say in this MPR story:

University Avenue isn't what you'd call a scenic route. Russ Stark, a bike-riding St. Paul city councilman, says all the trucks and cars can make for an unpleasant ride. "It's not my favorite place to be on a bike. It's pretty dirty, and loud, and hot," he said.
Stark is standing with his bike on University Avenue, near the western edge of St. Paul. Just north of him is an expansive rail yard where many other east-west streets come to a dead end.But he does find a practical elegance in this wide, urban thoroughfare. It's the most direct street that connects downtown St. Paul to Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota.
"So University is such a straight shot -- it goes right through. The people who are used to riding in traffic and who don't mind the noise, dust, and cars use it all the time," he said.
Two years ago, Stark floated what seemed like a radical idea: Cut the number of vehicle traffic lanes from four to two. That would make room for the planned light-rail trains, bike lanes, as well as street parking. But when that idea didn't meet federal funding standards that were in place at the time for light-rail projects, Stark backed off.

Since the new line has taken years to become a reality many things have been lost in the process not to jeopardize the project as a whole. Now we have to do the work of looking what we have and making that work. Some fights have been fought and resulted in victories, but I know that the bike lane argument for University Avenue is going no where and fast. I think we are much better off fighting for a better bike network in St. Paul in other areas where more people will actually ride, otherwise we might end up wasting a lot of political capital on University Avenue.

The Leaf Sells out

2010-06-01T05:00:00.001-04:00

In today's world it seems hype can just about sell anything. How many people really needed the iphone when it came out? It seems just about everybody has one these days. Well, the news in the automotive world is that the Nissan Leaf, with its preorders, is already sold out. 19,000 vehicles have been presold in the US and Japan and should be hitting the dealers later this year.

I have to ask the questions why so much hype about electric cars now? It seems we are spinning our wheels since we have been through this before. I really don't see this making any progress forward other than reduced environmental impacts.

From a NY Times story:

Nissan has given the Leaf a starting price of $32,780, minus a $7,500 federal tax credit. The Volt, whose price has not been disclosed, is expected to sell for close to $40,000 before the tax credit.
Among the other electric vehicles planned for sale in the United States within several years are a battery-powered version of Ford’s compact car, the Focus, and the Tesla Model S sedan, which will be built in California as part of a new partnership with Toyotaannounced last week.
The preorders for the Leaf include 13,000 in the United States, where dealers take a $99 deposit, and 6,000 in Japan. Mr. Ghosn said sales in the United States would be concentrated in areas where there was sufficient means to support electric vehicles, like cities in California and other states that are installing charging stations.

We are going to charge large amounts of money to purchase these cars and then waste money building additional infrastructure for a means of transportation that seems to be less than worthwhile these days. For too long now cars have dominated our way of thinking how we move ourselves to get form point A to B. It might be time to start investing in real transportation infrastructure that gives people choice, rather than another monthly car payment.

Seattle's Backyard Cottages

2010-05-28T05:00:00.000-04:00

Homeowners talk about building, and living in, cottages in their backyard to generate more income, and to live in a smaller space where they can keep family as close as a walk across the yard. Full article can be found here.

The Transit Rider (we don't like)

2010-05-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

For those of us that ride public transit we know all the different types of riders that join us for the daily journey. You could come up with of list of about 100 when you ride the NYC subway on a regular basis. Instead here is a list of these riders from the Bay Area BART rider. Below are some of my favorites:

Headbanger
Not to be confused with the Music Demon, these are the BART riders who wear their handbags, satchels or computer bags over their shoulders and walk down the center aisle banging heads and shoulders as they go, oblivious to the damage they cause. This species is often experienced in the center aisle on domestic flights as well. Be careful because they are also known to attack your cheek, your ears and the occasional eye. Advice: Put your bag on the floor between your feet. I would like to get off the train in a half-hour without damage to my facial features.

Bathroom Bessie
She proceeds to primp and preen herself on the ride in and applies creams, powders and jells, plucking her eyebrows, spraying perfume and, on occasion, painting nails. Please note, those of us afflicted by asthma really don't appreciate the smell of nail polish or cologne in confined spaces.

'Nappers'
Usually observed during morning commutes, these riders take the seats just inside the doors. They normally wear dark glasses or read newspapers so that they can't make eye contact with any one boarding who may need the seats. These riders seem to have the built-in ability to ignore the elderly or frail riders, parents with young children and pregnant women. You will see them happen to doze off just before the train pulls into each station and hold that pose until the doors close again. Something in that tunnel is working miracles because the person occupying those seats designated for riders in need has undergone a transformation — by the time we're pulling into Embarcadero they've mustered all their energy, are jostling at the exit door and pushing their way up the escalator and out of the station.

These are the people we share our daily commutes with. You can read about the spitting on bus driver phenomena taking place in NYC here.

The Store Front Window No More

2010-05-26T05:00:00.002-04:00

I am not sure when it happened, but it did happen at some point where retailers (chain and mom and pops) have decided a window is something that needs to be covered up. I have heard the numerous excuses in regards to safety, safety, and safety. It seems that some business owners don't realize the amount of customers they are loosing because you can't see into the store. There is zero transparency from the street to the interior of the store and vice versa.

These store fronts further kill what street life we have left. The Washington Post had this to say:

So the mature response might be to acknowledge that hollow, empty, blocked-out windows are simply a sign of the times, to be embraced as a truth about the new economy. But while windows were always an extension of advertising, they were also transparent, and transparency brings with it many happy accidents. The best of these is the vision of human activity -- even if in a CVS -- through the storefront.

That voyeurism, so essential to city life, can't be accounted for in a city code, a zoning ordinance or a phrase such as "street activating uses." But it is part of the fundamental substratum of sexiness that makes cities so exciting. A covered window is more than a concession to the hard realities of the retail economy or to the fear of crime. It is the loss of a form of consciousness -- the mutual regard of urban people for one another. It is the loss of an urban space that can't be found on any map, a place where you are on stage but not an actor, in the audience but part of the show, mixed up among I and you and we and us, a liminal space that has thrilled and terrified people since cities grew large enough to dissolve us in collective identity.

This is my plea to small business owners everywhere - FREE YOUR WINDOWS AND LET US GAZE IN.

I am Limping here!

2010-05-25T05:00:00.002-04:00

I'll admit this story totally made me laugh when I was reading it. I completely agree with Pamela Hill Nettleton and all the points she makes in the article. Having worked with numerous transportation groups and elected officials, I am of the mind that we need to plan access for children, seniors, and the disabled. If we do that, and do it right, we are planning for those populations that have the hardest time with access on many different levels. I see infrastructure changes as the first key way of getting people to change their behavior. But first, Pamela's story:

So I have this immobilizing boot thing stuck to my foot. Apparently, there are tendons in my feet, and I have annoyed mine. Or, there’s a fracture and I stressed it. Either way, my left foot is now encased in plastic and I drag it around with me wherever I go.I figured out that I can still garden. I stick my leg in a Hefty trash bag and off I go to sit in the mulch and weed. In a pinch, I can even manage to hoe with my toes, more or less. I can still teach. Once I maneuver myself across campus, a lengthy and hopping sort of task that involves cursing in Gaelic (well, it does for me, anyway), I can sit to lecture, and the students don’t mind.And I can still write. Feet never were required for that gig.

But what I can’t do, as well as one might wish, is walk around town. I cannot get my gimpy self across the street fast enough. Even at a corner, even walking between the white lines, which are supposed to create a sanctum sanctorum for pedestrians, I get honked at for my lack of speed. No, this is not happening because I am so darn cute; the glare from behind the steering wheel telegraphs another message. The driver has been delayed for 30 seconds or so by being forced to share the planet with me.

He has been wronged. He has been maligned. His rights have been impinged upon, his personal space violated, his sense of himself as the center of the universe disrupted. He has been asked to do what is, simply, too much to expect. He has had to pause and wait for another human being. If blood pressure medication sales have spiked over at Walgreen’s, stockholders can, apparently, thank me. I can turn faces red at 50 slow, slow paces.

Complete Streets legislation just passed here in Minnesota so that might be the legislation we need to change the way we live our lives in the public domain. It is time for us to equally share and respect each other on the streets. We have lost the diversity of use and desperately need it back. That is why I was laughing at the story, because it is ironic how disengaged we have all become from one another.

The Food Desert

2010-05-24T05:00:00.001-04:00

One thing has become clear in my work these days is the lack of real sources of healthy food in neighborhoods. Yes, we find that the better neighborhoods have their selection of grocery stores, delis, and co-ops. When you get into the middle and low-income neighborhoods we see a drastic difference. Usually no food choice or if there is a grocery store, not the best selections. This seems to be the case in the Twin Cities where the food choices are unevenly distributed throughout our metro region.

The Grocery Gap shouldn't be news:

Urban revitalization does not at first glance relate to the growing national interest in fresh fruits and vegetables. But the Pennsylvania-based Food Trust views the supermarket as the perfect starting point for improving the commercial viability of a neighborhood. When the group launched back in 1992, it was originally dedicated to expanding farmers' markets throughout Philadelphia. Today, the group is working tirelessly to eliminate food deserts--areas without any access to "real" food.

To accomplish this goal, the Food Trust is working with Pennsylvania lawmakers to develop a series of public/private partnerships that address food access problems. One such program is the Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a grant and loan program that encourages supermarkets to open in underserved areas. The group is also working on nutrition policy for Philadelphia schools and is helping corner stores improve their produce offerings. Yael Lehmann, The Food Trust's executive director, spoke with The Atlantic about what supermarkets can accomplish for cities nationwide.

It seems we are finally starting to see the connections between land use, transportation, housing, job centers, and now food. We still need to bring education into the mix (with a host of other things), but this is a foundation on which to build and sustain healthy, affordable, and thriving neighborhoods. Just like when you bake, some the key ingredients have to be present.

Let them Leave

2010-05-21T05:00:00.002-04:00

So the MN Viking are threatening to leave our state if we don't build them a new stadium. I say let them leave. The metrodome, on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis is a wasteland. Very little retail, a sea of surface lots, and little to no housing. What have they really contributed to the economic well being of Minnesota?

With a price tag in the realm of $800 million I say they can pack up and leave when their lease expires in 2011. In our current economic environment we need to spend this money elsewhere.

With two seasons left on their lease and no stadium bill, the Vikings on Tuesday insinuated next year's legislative session is Minnesota's last chance to keep the 49-year-old NFL franchise. "Having an NFL team in Minnesota requires a stadium solution," the team said in a written statement. "This solution must be finalized in the 2011 Session." Lester Bagley, Vikings vice president of public affairs and stadium development, said the team had no additional comments.

"The statement will speak for itself," he said. "But it shows just how strongly ownership feels about this." The team's Metrodome lease runs through the 2011 season. The Vikings say that without a stadium deal in place, there will be no extension. But next year's legislative session doesn't look any more promising than the one that ended Monday with little substantive movement on the stadium issue.
Lawmakers began this session with a $1.2 billion deficit. Next January — when the Legislature begins to draw up a two-year budget — the deficit is projected to be $5.8 billion, though Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Tuesday that number is misleadingly high.

I think the Vikings are forgetting that we had the Gophers here long before they became the new kids on the block. It seems I am not alone with my frustration.

1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back for St. Paul's Downtown

2010-05-20T05:00:00.001-04:00

St. Paul has the potential to be great, I currently just think it is good. As with all economic development it seems that we have to give a lot to gain a little. Downtown St. Paul has been struggling for years to create a vibrant street life (day and night). What is ironic about this is that downtown St. Paul is at a great pedestrian scale already, near the River, and has some excellent parks. The city wants to move forward with extending some outside seating on one of the main streets that has some great places to eat and drink. The problem, well this will mean the loss of parking and a $270,000 assessment to the building owners - 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

From the Pioneer Press article:

The proposal calls for adding 8 feet to the current 10-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side of Sixth Street between Sibley and Wacouta streets, allowing space for about 25 more tables on the block's patios. Instead of four lanes, Sixth Street would narrow to three lanes, including one for bike and bus traffic. All metered parking on the block would be eliminated.

The Central Corridor project already does away with six of the parking meters that provide $6,000 in annual revenue; extending the sidewalk would mean losing another 16 meters, which bring in $20,000 annually. If the proposal goes through, Bulldog's current outdoor seating would double to 10 tables. Barrio would triple its outdoor space, with seating for 36. Bin, which currently has no outdoor seating, would get room for 14 customers to sit outside. A vacant fourth space on the block could get space for 16 customers. Chuck Repke, a consultant hired by the block's building owners, said Illinois-based Bar Louie has been in talks for that space.

Although no one so far has opposed the idea of more patio dining space on the block, critics say seasonal decking paid for by landlords would be a better option than extending the sidewalk, so the city doesn't risk unforeseen construction costs and losing meter revenue.

Loss of revenue? Adding outdoor seating would add value to the street, neighborhood, and the downtown buildings that front it. This could create a great asset now, and down the line, and would also increase tax revenue. It is called successful commercial economic development.

Call it radical, but what if we closed that block off entirely on Thursday and Friday nights? Might just be a revolution starting in Downtown St. Paul. This investment has the potential to bring in a lot more than $20,000 in revenue in taxes alone, not to mention all the non-revenue benefits it would create.

Share the Road, really!

2010-05-19T05:00:00.001-04:00

With bike commuters on the rise I am not sure why drivers are still griping at folks like me. Just the other day I had one of those wonderful conversations with a motorists at an intersection. Clearly, we were just going to have to agree to disagree. During the rest of my commute I realized that motorist should be extremely thankful for my daily bike commuting. I realized I have achieved the following for this driver:

One less car on the road
One more parking spot freed up
One less car on our congested freeways
One less garage built
One less car at line in the gas station
One less car polluting the city
One less car to get into an accident with
One less car for wear and tear on the streets
A shorter commute for all

Yes, I realized that motorists should be on our side. As transit mode shifts and the numbers of bike commuter rises that is a huge win win for everybody. The more I thought about it, it is even a bigger win for motorists. If we can achieve high numbers of ridership, just think of how many cars will be taken off the road. This USA Today article had this to say:

Bare is one growing number of people turning to bicycles for transportation. According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, the number of adults who bicycled to work in 2008 was 786,098, up 26% from 2006. That number continues to grow, says Wiley Norvell, spokesman for the New York City-based Transportation Alternatives advocacy group.

I think one less car should really be for the cagers, since they all have more to gain then I do.

The Birth of Cool: Richard Florida on Cities

2010-05-18T14:29:00.003-04:00

Why I moved to "fly over land"

2010-05-17T05:00:00.001-04:00

Mr. Renn's post over at the Urbanphile about authentic cities made me realize once again why I moved to fly over land. For those of you not in the know, this usually consists of the entire Midwestern region of the United States (From at least Ohio to Nebraska). A little less than 2 years ago I packed my bags and moved from NYC (the center of the world) to the Twin Cities. At that time most people didn't know where it was, nonetheless, ever heard of or had a geographic inkling about where the upper Midwest was. If they knew where Chicago was I was lucky.

What I love about living in Minneapolis, and working in St. Paul, is that I, and most residents, could care less about NYC, Chicago, and SF (all places I have lived). It really is ironic that in the Twin Cities region the next "big city" is Chicago (350 miles away), which Amtrak only goes to once a day from St. Paul. Here in the upper Midwest we live in the shadow of nobody. No NYC to Philadelphia, no Chicago to Milwaukee, we just seem to exist up here all by ourselves with no clear reflection from somebody else's shadow.

This brings me to Renn's post about looking at your history, past, heritage, and what you have as a way to identify yourself. From the post:

To renew our cities, we have to build on what they are, not what they aren’t. The lesson of Portland is not the physical things Portland did. The lesson of Portland is that they went their own way and did what was right for them. Other cities need to find their own paths. That doesn’t mean you can’t do something or aspire to be something you’ve never been. That’s how we grow as people and as cities. But suddenly deciding to just chuck your whole heritage, history, character, etc. and go in a radically different direction is probably not going to work. One reason, for example, the 1970’s era amateur sports strategy for Indianapolis worked is that sports was something that was already compatible with the local culture. It was a reworking of something that was already there, positioned for the future – and it fit the city.

People think we are crazy up here with our 6 months of freezing weather, long summer days, pick up trucks, lakes and rivers, thriving economy and culture, and overall pretty good quality of life. I think for the Midwestern cities to hit there stride again we might want to take Renn's advice and stop listening to the Richard Florida's of the world, who make a living pointing out what we are not, instead of what we are and can thrive to be.

I like it up here, and guess what, I am staying.

Sprawlanta

2010-05-14T08:28:00.000-04:00

Braking for the Law

2010-05-13T06:34:00.004-04:00

This is a great op-ed in the NY Times. Chris Raschka talks about what has changed in the past 10 years on NYC streets in regards to cycling. It has changed so much so, that the new environment gives Chris the idea it might just be better to stop at the red lights and wait.

Ten years ago, riding a bicycle through the streets of New York was still considered outlandish behavior at best, and possibly insane. At the time, I viewed this with chagrin, but also complacency. I biked everywhere.
Like a goat in a cattle drive, I was jostled by a delivery van on Ninth Avenue, went over my handlebars because of an out-of-town driver on Seventh, and was casually bumped into by a limousine driver on Sixth who stopped and got out to see if I had damaged his side-view mirror, while I lay unattended on the sidewalk.
But in the last few years, bicycling has become an accepted and much safer way to get around the city. Bike lanes abound, putting cars, trucks and vans at least a couple of feet farther from me. On the many paths along the rivers I can find breezy quiet and truly fresh air.
Perhaps looking for a new challenge, I’ve been attempting something unexpected in New York City bike-riding behavior: I stop for red lights.

Is the tide changing enough for cyclist to start following the rules? Or is Chris just showing his excitement for the new changes through his new found behavior?

Being Green in the Twin Cities

2010-05-12T05:00:00.000-04:00

The Green Store, which supplies green products for the Twin Cities, is moving it's store a few miles south to a new location. Why you ask, Parking.

May is the last month to shop Twin Cities Green at 2405 Hennepin Ave. S. before the store changes names and moves from the area.

Ryan North, who started the business a couple years ago with wife Tina, said the store would be moving a couple miles southwest, closer to the lakes, but he couldn’t provide the exact address yet because the deal was still being finalized.

The main reason for the move, he said, was problematic parking at the current location.

Oh, the Irony. I also see the move into a wealthier part of the Twin Cities as the real driving force.

Capping I-94

2010-05-11T05:00:00.004-04:00

Decking over expressways is not anything new, but since Boston's BIG DIG it seems cities are now looking at this as a real viable option to reconnect spaces that have been cut off from each other because of the creation of the freeway running through the cities.

In the Twin Cities I-94 immediately jumps out as a great project that could be capped from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul. If we caped it the following could be accomplished:

Re-establishing the Rondo Neighborhood in St. Paul

Connecting Stevens Square with downtown Minneapolis

Creating a public trail, greenway, and even transit way

Parks, parks, and parks

Create a new corridor with mixed-use development

From the USA Today article:

Cities are removing the concrete barriers that freeways form through their downtowns — not by tearing them down but by shrouding them in greenery and turning them into parks and pedestrian-friendly developments.
This gray-to-green metamorphosis is underway or under consideration in major cities seeking ways to revive sections of their downtowns from Los Angeles and Dallas to St. Louis and Cincinnati.
Transportation departments are not opposed as long as the plans don't reduce highway capacity. In most cases, traffic is rerouted.
"It's the coming together of people wanting green space and realizing that highways are a negative to the city," says Peter Harnik, director of the Trust for Public Land's Center for City Park Excellence. "Covering them with green space gives you a wonderful place to live and work."

Have we found a possible solution to our urban freeways? Costs would be high, but would the benefits justify these monster projects of decking our expressways?

Minneapolis Street Film

2010-05-10T05:00:00.001-04:00

The Feds make all the difference

2010-05-07T07:11:00.003-04:00

The Central Corridor line is coming. What has become obvious with the new president and significant changes to evaluating projects is that federal politics ruled most of our local decisions. This was simply the case if planners wanted this project to happen. While most won't agree with the process, it seems the Met Council was willing and able to play the funding game. This actually has been a positive change since we are getting the three additional stations and hopefully some more improvements down the road.

From the MPR story:

Politics in Washington also has contributed to the sometimes bumpy road for Central Corridor. The project was largely engineered during the Bush administration, which created a difficult terrain for planning light-rail lines by making cost-effectiveness the primary criteria for evaluating new transit proposals.

Bell said the "cost-effectiveness index" dominated many of his decisions, as it meant that local planners had to say "no" to a tunnel or an alternate route through the university, just as they first said "no" to the neighborhoods that wanted more stops.

Under the Obama administration, cost-effectiveness is no longer the most important benchmark for evaluating projects. That has given local communities a lot more flexibility. So what would have happened if light-rail planners waited for a more transit-friendly administration in Washington?

McDonough, the Ramsey County commissioner, said elected officials debated that very question nearly three years ago. He said the Central Corridor was competing with more than 100 projects across the country, but it gradually slugged its way to the top. As one of six federal transit projects included in Obama's budget, it's poised to receive a commitment for federal funding this fall.

Even with all the struggle and controversy, the new line will be a great project that will help complete a Twin Cities transportation network.

Fighting Giants

2010-05-06T05:00:00.001-04:00

So two of the oldest institutions in Minnesota think they know better how to plan and build transportation, than those that actually do it for a living. In todays world with LRT, street cars, subways, elevated trains, trolleys, and all the other sorts of transit avalable around the world, the University of Minnesota (U) and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) think that no real mitigation can be proposed for their issues.

What is really ironic about this situation is that neither have taken any internal steps to fix this problem, not that they should, but why not be pro-active? The U should be relocating it's sensative laboratories if it really generates millions of dollar for the University. MPR should have some idea how to further sound proof their studios in a dense urban core location. If we could step out of our bubble for a moment we would realize that these are minor issues for a project that is going to change the Twin Cities region forever, in a good way.

From the MPR story:

Scientists like David Blank are at the heart of the debate. Blank, a chemistry professor at the U, reports to work by taking 55 stairs down to the sub-basement of Koltoff Hall on Washington Avenue.

Blank works with laser beams. His lab contains two giant tables littered with mirrors and prisms that steer the lasers in different directions. Blank and his team of researchers are watching how these pulses of light move, so they can help develop the next generation of solar cells.

What's under the table is just as interesting. Its feet are cylinders the size of propane tanks, filled with compressed air.

Blank built his laser systems to rest on the air because light waves are vulnerable to even the smallest vibrations. That's also why his lab is located deep down in Kolthoff Hall.

The tables are designed to hold up against the constant ruckus from buses and trucks on busy Washington Avenue, which is 130 feet from his lab. But he doesn't know how the tables will manage the different vibrations from the proposed light-rail trains along the avenue.

Last year, the university spent $40,000 on lobbying on matters related to the Central Corridor, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. By its own estimates, the university has spent at least $500,000 on outside consulting over issues of vibration and electromagnetic interference, and $1 million in professional staff time.

I realize the U has to keep its own interests at heart, but this seems like an instiution that would rather keep building parking lots and garages to collect more revenue from it's 40,000 students. It really boggles the mind why the U wouldn't want LRT at its front door, but something is simmering just beneath the surface. For the sake of my readers, I won't even begin to discuss the MPR lawsuit and issues.

In the shadow of I-94

2010-05-05T07:33:00.007-04:00

The building of Interstate 94 tore through the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul during a time this was the norm in urban renewal. Like most interstate and expressways built, neighborhoods were bulldozed over to make sure that these new arteries could exist through the heart of our major cities. Not only does the physical structure remind long term residents of what was lost, this devastating event has cast its shadow over the building of the Central Corridor line.

The Central Corridor line is the largest capital investment in the history of Minnesota so people do have a lot to be worried about. The building of the Central Corridor line has little in common with the history of I-94.

Local Council Member Carter:

The 31-year-old Carter, a former track star at Central High School, wasn't alive when the interstate tore apart Rondo. But he grew up hearing stories about the neighborhood. His great-grandfather, Mym Carter, led a jazz string band in on a horse-drawn buggy down Rondo Avenue. And Carter's grandfather owned a handful of commercial buildings that the councilman says he probably would have inherited.
Carter's own father, who lost his childhood home to the freeway project, often shared his memories of Rondo on car trips around St. Paul with his kids.
"Growing up, we'd ride I-94, and just before the Dale Street bridge, he'd say, 'You're in my bedroom -- now!'" Carter recalled. "And for those folks who lived that, and even for someone like me, who grew up hearing the stories of Rondo far before I ever knew what the letters LRT stood for, and grew up with a gut, gut feeling about how horrible a tragedy Rondo was, I think it's understandable somebody can look at [light rail] and say, 'No thanks.'"
That doesn't mean residents should resist light rail, Carter said. But there is a lesson to be learned from Rondo:
"It happened so long ago, but we're still in the shadow of Rondo," he said. "That's exactly what makes it so important that we choose our steps very carefully now.

Will our past overshadow our future? While the Met Council could, and should, do a better job of engagement, we need to starting looking at our future that include the Central Corridor.

Reconnecting the Twin Cities

2010-05-04T05:00:00.001-04:00

The Central Corridor Line has been on the planning stages for over 30 years now. The train that would connect downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis and run through the heart of neighborhoods is a regional game changer. We need better transit in the Twin Cities, but the road blocks for the central corridor have been many and often. Currently, three separate lawsuits threaten the project and meeting the federal deadlines to secure the $500 million. Issues such as route, alignment, and noise vibrations seems to be a never ending discussion. We have no mitigation plan for the 1,000 business that are going to loose 85% of on-street parking and see 30-50% revenue drops during construction.

The line is still right in my opinion, but it seems that the Met Council might have gone about engagement in the wrong ways:

Even in Minneapolis, the Hiawatha project produced no fewer than eight lawsuits. None succeeded in delaying or halting the project. But to say that every transit project spurs a flurry of lawsuits just isn't true.
There's an art to bringing together different factions, said business consultant and light rail advocate Bill Knowles of Salt Lake City, which built two light-rail lines over the past 11 years and now has three more lines under construction. Knowles said after the first light-rail project, which disrupted some downtown businesses, the process for building future lines got easier, not harder.
He said what he's heard about Central Corridor make him think something has gone off track.
"I'm just totally amazed," Knowles said. "When an entity like a university has to sue, it really speaks to lousy communication, doesn't it? The fact there's lawsuits, and the fact that there's still these people who are rounding themselves up individually tells me there's apparently not anybody big enough who is in control of that situation. And consequently, people are flying off on their own deals."

Is the Central Corridor line our modern day urban renewal or is a project this large going to break some eggs regardless? It seems that too many issues are still unresolved, but the rush to get federal funding always makes other stakeholders issues secondary at best.

Streetcars, Light Rail, and the Central Corridor project

2010-05-03T05:00:00.004-04:00

MPR has been running a series all last week on the Central Corridor Line that will be running between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. This week I plan on running my own blog posts that will cover each segment and give my two cents. First, to understand why we need the Central Corridor Line I think this MPR story about the old streetcar system, and museum, will set the stage.

Like most cities 50 years ago the Twin Cities had an extensive streetcar network that got folks around town. Today, just like most major American cities we have buses as are main mode of public transportation. What happened in that time period that we took so many steps back in our transportation planning?

Check out this interactive map for stories and history of University Avenue.

Home

2010-04-30T08:10:00.001-04:00

“As upbeat, jazzy music sets the mood for fun, a happy family in roller skates finishes the match point of a hockey game played out on a strip of nondescript tarmac. Thus begins Swiss-French filmmaker Ursula Meier’s debut feature, Home—in stark contrast to what lies ahead. Marthe (Isabelle Huppert), Michel (Olivier Gourmet) and their three children live a peaceful existence in a remote house that borders a long-unused stretch of highway. When the route one day suddenly opens to commuters, this bohemian clan’s daily routine is thrown into disarray: Ever-sunbathing Judith (Adélaïde Leroux) must endure the catcall honking that overpowers her portable stereo, while it quickly becomes impossible for the younger children, Julien and Marion, to safely “cross the street” to catch their school bus. What begins as annoyance and inconvenience, however, soon crosses over into paranoia, as the incessant traffic noise leads to sleep deprivation and fears concerning prolonged exposure to exhaust loom large. Refusing to relocate, and in an obstinate yet futile attempt to maintain some semblance of the normality they once enjoyed, Marthe and Michel increasingly resort to isolationism and a literal blockade. Alternately tense, touching, absurd and frightening, Home is an invasion movie of another sort—where the space crafts are vehicles and the aliens are ordinary motorists. With its unique style, dark humor and tragic-hopeful denouement, Meier’s film is sure to be one of the most discussed of the Festival. “ --Jeremy Quist, SFIFF

Streetcar Retirement

2010-04-29T07:55:00.000-04:00

A race to the bottom

2010-04-28T05:00:00.000-04:00

Their have been plenty of residual problems because of the housing bubble and it's bust. When housing becomes just another commodity, construction standards lack to improve the developer's bottom line. The South Loop of Chicago know this all to well since many of the new condos that were built their are now in need of major repairs.

From NY Times article:

The view from Tom and Jane Justic’s eighth-floor condominium in the South Loop — with Soldier Field in the foreground and majestic Lake Michigan behind it — is exactly what they were looking for when they moved from Beverly in 2005.

But the condominium that came with that view has an unexpected and unwelcome additional cost: $850 a month in special assessments for the next five years, to cover the expense of building repairs that were completed late last year.

Since it was constructed in 2002, the Justics’ 23-story building at 1717 South Prairie Avenue has become an extreme example of the strains and pains that many South Loop condominiums and town houses now face from the area’s boom in construction before the market collapsed in late 2008. Once one of the city’s hottest real estate markets, the South Loop is crisscrossed by scaffolding and suffused with the frustration and anxiety of litigation between condo boards and developers.

Just another after effect of the housing boom rears its ugly head. Just how many more problems are still expected as a result of our race to the bottom?

Two Wheel Tribes: Stereotypes part II

2010-04-27T05:00:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I posted about the common stereotypes that are created of those that use two wheels as a main mode of transportation. Well, of course the NY Times just can leave bike culture, oh I mean, The two wheel tribe alone. In usual fashion if you ride a bike you must be a roadie, crazy messenger, NYCDOT commish, or some sort of weirdo.

So what does cycling culture look like? Is it dodging through gritty traffic, or rapidly pedaling around Central Park? Are the track-bike tribes of Williamsburg more or less native than those of the mountain bikers in Highbridge Park? What about the fashion plate on a $1,200 Dutch bike, or a pedicab driver who recently arrived from Tajikistan?

Listen to the profiles of these five two wheel wielders here. As usual the comments section is where everyone fights for their small part of turf in NYC.

Business Planning: Martin J. Chavez on PlaNYC

2010-04-23T05:00:00.000-04:00

Planner and scholar Tom Angotti wants more local and community input to PlaNYC, Martin J. Chavez thinks Mayor Bloomberg did an excellent job and created a model worth replicating in other cities:

This process required a new level of coordination between City departments that didn’t previously exist. All too often in municipalities, as in any organization, projects and programs are siloed within departments that don’t communicate. To resolve this, the Mayor created the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, a central office to drive the creation of PlaNYC and manage collaboration between departments. Cooperation wasn’t optional, since Mayor Bloomberg made clear his personal commitment to the plan.

But Mayor Bloomberg took care not to over-manage the process from the top down. Instead, he hired the most talented staff he could find and encouraged a culture of innovation, empowering city staff to experiment with new ideas—and giving them permission to be bold and take risks. This is a major distinction to the business-as-usual approach so common in jurisdictions around the country.

The good news is that a culture of innovation isn’t unique to New York, and is taking root in cities from Cleveland and Chicago to Las Vegas and my own Albuquerque. We’re all sharing and implementing the best ideas wherever we can find them. The imperative is to deal with issues like climate change and energy independence now, and make our communities even better places to live for our children and grandchildren.

Both Chavez and Angotti have a point, but who is right? Having worked in NYC on many levels and dealing with numerous city bureaucracies I would say they both have a point. We need city departments to function better together and not different silos, but at the same time, we do need better engagement of our communities in regards to creating and sustaining more livable cities. I do firmly believe we need innovation, but in a comprehensive manner that incorporates everyone. City staff can sometimes be the most disengaged folks to work with which causes good ideas to go unimplemented.

The +'s of Central Corridor LRT

2010-04-22T05:00:00.002-04:00

Elite Cities?

2010-04-21T05:00:00.001-04:00

This article in The Economist about Portland as an elite city caught my eye the other day. The premise is that as your city becomes more livable, sustainable, and healthier - well so does the cost of living which eventually wipes out the middle class. While that might be true for Portland, I am not sure I buy the argument, I do believe this trend has killed the core for cities like New York and San Francisco. Where only the wealthy, and those who work for them, can manage to live, or so it seems of late.

From the article:

Joel Kotkin, a Los Angeles-based demographer and author, thinks that places like Portland, San Francisco and Boston have become “elite cities”, attractive to the young and single, especially those with trust funds, but beyond the reach of middle-class families who want a house with a lawn. Indeed Portland, for all its history of Western grit, is remarkably white, young and childless. Most Americans will therefore continue to migrate to the more affordable “cities of aspiration” such as Houston, Atlanta or Phoenix, thinks Mr Kotkin. As they do so, they may turn decentralised sprawl into quilts of energetic suburbs with a community feeling.
That is not to belittle Portland’s vision. It is a sophisticated and forward-looking place. Which other city can boast that its main attraction is a bustling independent book store (Powell’s) and that medical students can go from one part of their campus to another by gondola, taking their bikes with them? Other cities will see much to emulate. Minneapolis, for example, this month displaced Portland as Bicycling magazine’s most bike-friendly city (“they got extra points for biking in the snow,” grumble Mr Adams’s staff). Adam Davis of Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall, a Portland polling firm, says that Oregonians like to consider themselves leaders but also exceptions. They are likely to remain both.

Then the question becomes do you want to live an elite city or an aspiring city? For me (living in the Twin Cities) I have chosen the aspiring city.

Top Down Planning: Tom Angotti on PLANYC

2010-04-19T05:00:00.001-04:00

Tom Angotti, Urban Planner and Scholar, has this critique of the 2030 PLANYC. While some find Tom a bit rough around the edges (Yes, I was his student in Planning school) he does point out some of the legal and formal procedures that the city requires for adoption of plans. Angotti's critique is on firm ground and really does display the problem with planning in NYC, that it is all top down. Even the improvements to pedestrian and biking from NYCDOT have been a very top down approach. While many may be happy with the results, the process has been far from engaging and democratic. From the article:

Since PlaNYC was never officially approved, it remains an initiative of the mayor, owned and operated by City Hall. Generally, the Department of City Planning is responsible for planning and engaging other branches of government.

The department, however, played a minor role in preparing the 2030 plan, and long-term plans of any kind have been notably absent from City Planning’s portfolio. Instead, the agency touts as one of its top achievements the 100 rezonings it approved in the last eight years.

While the rezonings have opened up opportunities for new development -- also a major goal of PlaNYC2030 -- and protected many other areas, they hardly pass muster as "plans." Rezoning for new development is often done without planning for new schools, transit and other services, nor does it entail measures to deal with existing service deficits or the myriad problems that face communities. In some neighborhoods that have undergone massive rezoning, such as Williamsburg, residents are now up in arms because new high-rise luxury development has overtaxed the capacity of local schools and transit.

The other side of the arguement is - would PLANYC ever exist if it needed to go through the normal channels? This begs the question really - can you plan for a population of 8 million?

Streetcars coming back to Minneapolis

2010-04-16T05:00:00.001-04:00

Things have been looking up in the City of Lakes. We are going to get our 2nd LRT line up and running by 2014, our first commuter heavy real line is up and running, and now the City Council is starting to look seriously at a few feasible Streetcar lines. Anybody who understands circulation patterns must realize that the Nicollet Mall/Avenue and Greenway lines would be providing services along dense corridors with thriving commercial corridors.

Not to forget, that the Greenway Street car line would link two LRT lines, spur development connections along the greenway, and provide a much better transit option for those traveling east and west. It would also be able to create a better transit hub at the global market. I am glad to see these transportation ideas being considered because we really do need to make better connections in Minneapolis and this infrastructure, which will be costly, will pay back the city and residents for years to come. City pages had this article.

The next step is for the city and its partner agencies to narrow down these six lines to two or three lines for further study, and to then proceed with a first funding application to the federal government for one line.The Council's vote followed a change in the way the Department of Transportation approves federal dollars for transportation studies. Under the Bush administration, the approval process favored studies that proposed moving passengers from city centers out to suburbs.

Under the Obama administration, the department accords new weight to plans that seek to enhance urban livability and economic growth."When Minneapolis started planning for streetcars a couple years ago, some people said we were moving too fast, because we didn't have a federal partner who was willing to help us," Mayor R.T. Rybak said in praise of the Council vote. "Last Friday, the Council took a big step forward toward make sure we put modern streetcars where they belong -- along the commercial corridors in Minneapolis that used to have them."

While these will take more study and years to build, we are taking another step towards a more livable and healthier city.

The New Prospect Park West

2010-04-15T05:00:00.002-04:00

I commuted through Prospect Park in Brooklyn for 6 straight years. Other than getting the cars out of the Park, my other frustration was Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park West. So much so that I entered a design competition that would redesign the GAP and made Prospect Park West a two way Street. When the final results came out it was quite the disappointment since few of the proposals actually dealt with the traffic, bike, and pedestrian issues.

Years later it looks like we might finally have a victory. NYCDOT is now proposing taking one lane of Prospect Park West and creating a two-way bike lane. This would be a huge improvement for everyone who lives by and uses Prospect Park. Of course, the knee jerk reaction has slowed the process and made DOT cut back a bit, and Marty (the Borough President) is a loud opponent. I am excited that this project will still move forward and Prospect Park is taking another step closer to be a more friendlier and easily accessible place for everyone. Here is the Streetfilms:

Target Field - Is it a success?

2010-04-14T05:00:00.001-04:00

So BIG NEWS in Minneapolis. Monday was the Twins opener at our new Target Field. It was built smack damn in the heart of downtown. Target Field hold 40,000, cost $528 Million, and is close to public transit. While you can argue this is a huge boom for downtown, 40,000 pouring in at 3:00 on a Monday afternoon (reminds me of Wrigley in Chicago before the lights), but I still see one small problem, the majority of people are still going to arrive by car.

While another huge investment was made, connection the Hiawatha Line (LRT) to the North Star (commuter rail) right next to the new stadium, these two lines can't and aren't serving the number of passengers it could be by getting people to and from the game.

The Twins Opener has proven that the metro transit, the city, and county all need to take a hard look at how our city is changing, and yes, the changes we need to make so that we can continue to thrive and take advantage of the new ballpark. I for one am happy they didn't put it out in a far off suburb, where we know the only way to get there is to drive. Let's take advantage of the stadiums location and give people transit options like never before.

Our Salvation - Nissan LEAF

2010-04-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

The new electric car has arrived? Will it cure our auto dependence?

Cyclist archetypes, oh I mean stereotypes

2010-04-12T05:00:00.002-04:00

I always ponder why we feel the need to put everything into its nice little box. Again cyclists are the chosen as the stereotypes that need to be labeled to make sure the cyclist is always seen as different. When is the last time you heard a pedestrian or car driven given the archetype of Roadie - hipster - art school girl? Not very often I believe. It seems pedestrians are plagued with two labels. Those who walk (aka pedestrians) and those who don't (aka non-pedestrians). The same is true for people who drive cars. Those who drive (aka drivers) and those that don't (usually referred to as passenger). Yet, in the biking world (remember bike culture is not for sale) we can't just be a cyclist that is simply going from point A to B.

Metro Magazine explains:

This “it” in question is a paradigm shift of how area residents view the humble act of bicycling. Today, we embrace biking as more than just exercise, transportation or fun (although, at its core, it’s mostly about having fun). In the Twin Cities, cycling has become a lifestyle. Minneapolis, especially, has seen its renowned biking infrastructure—much of which was built or expanded in the 1990s—spawn a passionate biking culture. Travel + Leisure Magazine recently hailed Minneapolis a “paradise for pedalers,” counting it among Paris, Portland, Amsterdam and others
as a scion of global biking culture.

The simple thing that metro magazine is missing, the point really, is that I would argue most cyclists are all the things they described built into one. A lot cyclist ride their bike for different reasons, and even have different bikes for those reasons (just like the various reasons people drive, walk, and use public transit). For instance, my daily commuter would not suffice for a long 50 mile ride on the weekend. If I am just running short errands that require more speed the track bike (aka hipster fixie) is usually the bike of choice. What is actually so great about biking, and especially in the Twin Cities, is that we are all these things rolled into one. Roadies, hipsters, commuters, and art school students UNITE.

Buffered Lanes

2010-04-09T05:00:00.000-04:00

On the Right Track from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

We are number #1

2010-04-08T05:00:00.002-04:00

Forgive my boasting in this post, but it is great news that Minneapolis was chosen as the #1 bike city in the nation by Bicycling magazine. For those of us that live here and ride everyday we are happy to see our city get some recognition that it deserves.

From the Strib:

Minneapolis has dethroned Portland, Ore., as the bike-friendliest city in the country.The new issue of Bicycling magazine, published Tuesday, ranks Minneapolis ahead of 49 other large- and medium-sized cities in accessibility to bicyclists.

Portland has long ranked first, both in the magazine's rankings and other surveys. In its assessment of Minneapolis, the magazine pointed to the fact that the city has nearly doubled its percentage of bike commuters in just three years and its pledge to install new bike racks and start an innovative bike-share program.

From the City:

Minneapolis named America’s best bike city
More than 120 miles of bikeways, many bike amenities and a strong, vibrant bicycling community have prompted Bicycling magazine to name Minneapolis America’s best bike city.
In Bicycling magazine’s May edition, which hits newsstands today, Minneapolis is noted for having a large and supportive biking community. The article also mentions the extensive infrastructure in place for cyclists here, including bike-pedestrian bridges, greenways and a bike-share program that will begin this year.

There are 127 miles of bikeways in Minneapolis, with 83 of those being off-street trails. There is more bike parking per capita in Minneapolis than any other city in the country. In June, Minneapolis will start the largest bike-share program in the country. Also, the City has bike ambassadors to help educate and promote biking.

By choosing to bike instead of drive, residents help keep down traffic congestion, cut the production of greenhouse gases and reduce our dependence on oil. Plus, biking is a healthy way to get around. Minneapolis has the second highest percentage of bicycle commuters in the nation, according to a U.S. Census comparison of the nation’s 50 biggest cities. Find out more about bicycling in Minneapolis at www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles. Other criteria include a city's number of bike lanes, municipal bike racks, bike boulevards, government interest in cycling improvements and local bike culture.

I moved to Minneapolis over a year ago and one reason was because of the current bike network. While Minneapolis still has a lot of work to be done, we have a good network that will only get better in years to come. R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis' Mayor, has stated he wants us to be a world class bike city, let's get to work Mr. Mayor.

Proper Planning = access for everyone

2010-04-07T05:00:00.000-04:00

I am of the mind and theory that the best planning are the plans that accommodate children and our aging population. While not rocket science, if you plan to accommodate those people in our lives that are nearing 100 or are just turning 1, then you pretty much have covered the rest of the population. Think about it, if we plan for the most vulnerable populations to have easy access, then we have accommodated everyone for the most part.

This article from the AARP demonstrates this planning process in execution:

Last winter a snowstorm immobilized Portland, Ore., for two weeks. Recentlydiagnosed with leukemia, Ann Niles, 68, had scheduled a medicalconsultation, but bus service was halted and driving strongly discouraged.

What did Niles do? She rode the streetcar to her appointment.

“It turned out I didn’t have leukemia. I had something else, and needed a completelydifferent treatment,” she says. “Because of the streetcar, I was able to proceed with the new treatment right away.”

Niles and her husband, Philip, never imagined such drama would come from living on the Portland streetcar line.

The experience was, however, an extreme example of the convenience they expected from it when they relocated from Minnesota to Oregon. They envisioned the line,opened in 2001 along the four miles between Nob Hill and Portland State University, taking them uptown to their doctors, downtown to shops and to favorite destinations closer to their home in the Pearl District, a former industrial area now bursting with art galleries and restaurants, lofts and new condos.

This is a perfect example of many of the attributes that public transportation, when done right, can afford to residents of that city. Portland seems to be way ahead of the game when it comes to this idea. My hope is the cities lacking the public transportation can build it for the future which will accommodate all residents. Our older public transit systems are not created equal and usually don't meet the needs of the very young or old (When is the last time the elevator worked at a subway stop in NYC). We need to be creating a seamless system that works for the least mobile in society, so that they have the freedom of transportation choice.

Complete Streets

2010-04-06T06:10:00.001-04:00

Complete Streets video by Matty Lang

Minneapolis' first bike blvd

2010-04-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

Minneapolis bikers all know that Bryant Avenue is one of the best north-south routes through the city and connects very well to Loring Park Greenway and the Midtown Greenway. It isn't really a big surprise that the city will make Bryant a bike blvd this summer. What is different is that Bryant is not a nice low traffic street for its entire length. Actually, Bryant from Lake Street south changes and see a higher volume of cars and a dedicated bus route. In a way the city is still doing what is right since this is a high use route for cyclists, but should we be calling it a bike blvd or is it a hybrid instead?

Bryant will not be your typical blvd that you would find on the Streets of Berkeley or Portland. Different segment o Bryant function quite differently for all users, but Minneapolis seems to understand that aspect and is planning things accordingly.

I am happy that the city is moving forward instead of choosing a less used route and making that the bike blvd, which tends to be a trend in most cities. I must give Minneapolis some credit for actually working with a route that has been established and through design making that work for all users. I am excited to see it and ride on Bryant when they are all done with the markings this summer.

The Depreciating American Dream

2010-04-02T05:00:00.000-04:00

Boston Public Radio has this great series talking to home owners and renters about their choices in regards to housing. I have found the segments extremely enlightening about the choices people make in regards to housing and why they make those choices.

Owning a home has long played a significant role in the American story; the notion that buying a house is the stepping stone to wealth and happiness goes back a long time. But the housing bubble has burst, and many local homeowners are living in the shadow of the white picket fence. WBUR’s Curt Nickisch reports.

Check out the different segments here.

Freeways contribute to cities population loss

2010-04-01T05:00:00.001-04:00

The past fifty or so years have proven that our freeways have not been kind to our major cities. They have been the reason for separated neighborhoods, loss of access to waterfronts, have eliminated entire communities, loss of time, environmental impact, and they have changed our travel patterns for the worse. Nathaniel Baum-Snow is a professor of economics at Brown University has put a real number to the loss. For every freeway the correlated loss is 18% drop in the cities population.

Baum-snow States:

There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence we see out there in metropolitan cities that a lot of jobs exist in the suburbs, and that that wasn’t nearly as true 40 or 50 years from now. But amazingly enough, there’s not a lot of systematic, empirical evidence about the extent of which that employment decentralization has occurred, and their isn’t a lot of empirical evidence about how commutes have changed over time. In the process of writing my first paper about highways and suburbanization, I tried to read everything I could about this and I couldn’t find anybody who’d looked at this in a systematic way across metropolitan areas.
And it turns out that not only has the nature of residential and employment locations have changed dramatically, but the nature of commuting patterns have also changed dramatically. Now, the vast majority of commutes do not involve the central city at all, even commutes made by people who live in metropolitan areas, whereas in 1960, the majority certainly involved central cities either as origins or destinations or both. And that’s a major change. I think the next step is to try to understand all the things that generated that change.

The question is not how to we return to the past, but create a more equitable future that takes advantage of our cities and our growing suburbs as supplemental to each other, rather than, in opposition to each other.

Why living in the core matters

2010-03-31T05:00:00.007-04:00

This is a follow up post to a TC Streets for People entry I posted a few days ago about the housing and transportation affordability index. A very quick glimpse shows that those individuals who live with in the city limits are better off when it comes to affordability for housing and transportation.

This is how CNT defines affordability:

H+T has been developed as a more complete measure of affordability beyond the standard method of assessing only Housing Costs. By taking into account both the cost of housing as well as the cost of transportation associated with the location of the home, H+T provides a more complete understanding of affordability. Dividing these costs by Representative Regional Incomes illustrates the Cost Burden placed on a Typical Household by H+T expenses. While housing alone is traditionally deemed affordable when consuming no more than 30% of income, CNT has defined an affordable range for H+T as the combined costs consuming no more than 45% of income.

As the maps clearly demonstrate the urban core is well below the 45% (yellow) threshold. When I look at my neighborhood stats we are at 32% for both H + T . For those that know the Twin Cities it looks like only the really well to do neighborhoods, no surprise, are beyond the 45% (dark blue) threshold due to housing costs. The moral of the story here is that living in an affordable neighborhood with close and accessible transit makes for a an affordable home in regards to housing and transit.

This second set of maps shows the difference between transit ridership percentages and travel time to work. Yes, you guessed it, the closer in you live to downtown the higher the transit ridership (dark green) and shorter the commute (yellow). We are talking easily understood stats here that are clear as day when illustrated with these maps.

So if you live outside the city core your are more than likely paying more than 45% of your income for housing and transportation. Then you are loosing valuable time because your commute is over half an hour. This brings me to my main point.

MOVE TO THE CITY. Minneapolis and St. Paul happen to be a great options for families. We have good schools (in relative terms), yards for the kids to play in, garages for those cars to sit in, culture and arts, and some great natural amenities. Yes, while your work might be in the wrong direction, but in an urban cores we need to create a critical mass again of workers in both downtowns (I assure you that they can both use more companies and jobs) we can then start to demand and build the transportation infrastructure that will meet the needs of the new work force for the next 50-100 years. We have a good start, but we need more than one North Star line and one LRT line. We need serious investment.

If the 35W bridge collapse proved anything, it proves that we can get things done fast and efficient when we put our minds to it.

Twin Cities housing starts down, but good news

2010-03-30T05:00:00.003-04:00

MPR had this segment on the other day that explains why our slow housing development in the Twin Cities is actually one of our strengths. The argument goes that since we have not build for the sake of building in the Twin Cities, it has actually helped with the future projects.

Only 9 percent of the region's new housing permits were issued in the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and only 19 percent in so called developed or close in suburbs -- places like St. Louis Park and Roseville.

Rick Packer said the EPA smart growth numbers for Minneapolis and St. Paul don't tell the whole story. Packer is a former Coon Rapids city planner, a former member of the Metropolitan Council and as a businessman he's spent more than 25 years buying land for suburban housing developments.
Packer argues one reason the housing numbers appear to be low is the two cities have managed to avoid the worst ravages of urban blight that hollowed out some other American cities over the past 40 years creating big swatches of land ripe for redevelopment.

It seems the Twin Cities are bit better off because we avoided the boom and bust model that so many cities have experienced with the current housing bubble. While the suburbs did continue to grow, the cities at least seem to be on a more steady stream in regards to housing production. I guess more good news it with the current foreclosures I am sure we will see more rehabs than we will with new construction starts.

Note: I just looked at the raw data and the region as a whole is pretty flat. The big difference is that 60% + of housing starts are in the 1st ring suburbs, which actually means that we are not continuing to sprawl, while only 8% of starts were in urban fringe.

Portland's sidewalk management plan

2010-03-29T05:00:00.000-04:00

Sidewalk Management Draft Plan from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

Portland's new sidewalk management plan is silly. Here are just a few of my observations:

1 - Portland's pedestrian traffic is way too low to justify such a plan
2 - Deal with homeless and panhandlers through law enforcement
3 - sidewalks are meant for all different types of uses, This means no strolling or window shopping
4 - For a progressive city like Portland this would be a major step backwards

5 - This is over planning our public spaces

$20 a gallon

2010-03-26T05:00:00.000-04:00

Baby Steps

2010-03-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

So Austin finally has got it's first LRT line, but it seems the jury is out on this low budget and low rider starter line. Unlike many other cities that try and hit a home run the first time out (with the hopes of wide acceptance and future expansion) it seems Austin has taken the very safe route. Is that really wrong?

According to this article the Metrorail is going to be a huge failure. Yes, it only has one car and runs on freight lines (we know about that here in MPLS with the North Star Line), and only has one track for most of the line. I would agree that the odds are stacked against this first line, but that doesn't mean we should give up hope. I really like the approach this commenter took:

Let me start by saying I believe America should go back to rail as the major mode of transportation for both products and passengers. In saying that, what’s wrong with trying something on a smaller scale first? It cost less money and you still get an understanding of how popular or unpopular it is with citizens. It’s like a child saying he wants mango ice cream supersized but he has never tried it. As a parent I would ask for a sample size first, which would be less expensive, and if he likes it then I would buy the bigger version. I also believe, in some cases, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. If efficiency is the problem you’re having okay, but if you think building transit lines on a much grander scale will work you’re wrong. In the end if bigger doesn’t work you’ve just cost tax payers hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars. It sounds just like big government making tax payers fit the bill for grand projects that could have started out on a smaller scale first.

So did Austin play it too safe with this first line or will it create enough excitement for more LRT and street cars down the road?

Denver, CO

2010-03-24T05:00:00.001-04:00

I have been missing in action since I took a much needed trip to Denver and Boulder. I have heard the stories about just how sprawled this region is, and for the most part it lived up to that reputation. I would also say that Denver is a thriving, diverse, and pretty interesting city. Boulder on the other hand felt like an over planned and over budget sorta town that only the rich seem to afford. It was also lacking a real connection to the campus as well.

My biggest disappointment was the need for a car. While I like to usually try and huff it on public transit and foot when I visit places, sometimes against my better judgement, this trip to Denver and Boulder was not going to make that a realistic option. While they do have a good bus system and LRT, it still seemed that the region lacked good public transit in the form of commuter trains and more LRT lines.

This region does seem to be well grounded, have thriving cities, and a great natural landscape. I see a bright future for the Denver region and hope to visit again down the road, but next time, no car. I will add that both Denver and Boulder have great on street parking limits and payment options. It really worked for getting a spot, but not keeping your car their all day, so turn over was high and finding a spot not too difficult.

Google Maps - Blazing a new trail

2010-03-19T05:00:00.001-04:00

Will google maps new feature which gives you bike routes be a good thing in the long run? I ran my route the day they made the announcement and for the most part it was OK. It was not the one I take daily, but would have been good if I had not idea how to get from home to work.

What I am really concerned about will the power of google maps ultimately become a tool, much like models for traffic planners, where we loose the qualitative data and aspect of what we are trying to do. Yes, Google Maps will give you a route, but is it really the best route? Many bike commuters have usually figured out routes, short cuts, fast and slow streets with a trial and error approach. If we simply rely on a mapping tool are we not loosing something in the long run of why and how we bike commute in the first place?

From the Pioneer Press article:

Adam Bezdicek had just moved into a house in Columbia Heights and needed to figure out a bicycling route to work, but Web-mapping services failed him. So he plotted his route the hard way.
"I planned this out by driving and biking around," said Bezdicek, a project manager at a company just north of downtown Minneapolis. "It was a lot of trial and error, looking at which roads weren't loaded with potholes or didn't feel unsafe."
Last week, when Google added a biking-directions option to its popular Google Maps service, he decided to give the Web one more chance. Google nailed it. Bezdicek said the route it gave him was "almost identical" to the one he had created manually.
"It gave me one different turn but then came back onto the same route," he said. "I was surprised. It would have been nice to have this earlier."
The new bike-directions service, available for about 150 cities as of last week, is classic geeky Google. The Silicon Valley company spent months pooling bike-route data from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and other sources, and then put its massive computing power to work.

This is not to say that this bike feature on google maps won't be valuable, but it seems a little to GPS for me at this point and I worry about larger consequences it may pose down the road. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how this will play out.

Model City?

2010-03-18T05:00:00.001-04:00

This NY Times article profiles Michael Paul Smith who has created Elgin Park, a made up town of models that never made it past 1964. What I find interesting about the slide show is the emphasis on the automobile and how little has changed in all that time.

Michael Paul Smith builds scale models to house some of the model cars in his collection. His photographs of the models depict Elgin Park, an imaginary melting pot of a steel mill town where the calendar stopped in 1964.

You can check out the slide show here. While Mr. Smith is building this to showcase the cars it does seem interesting just how much we haven't incorporated other forms of transit into our daily lives. For the most part, most of us are still slaves to our cars, even if we wanted to change that the current infrastructure and environment make it almost impossible. Our love obsession with the cars continues on.

21 Top Time-Saving Cities

2010-03-17T05:00:00.000-04:00

I am a sucker for lists, just in case you haven't figured that out yet. When Real Simple posted this list about the 21 time-saving cities I had to click on the link and see what they came up with. It might be no surprise to see most of the cities on this list, but I am intrigued if we used this data and then listed the cities by cost of living. I am sure Seattle, Boston, NYC, and others would drop down the list pretty fast, but it was encouraging to see Minneapolis (my home currently), Pittsburgh, and Philly on the list. These cities don't usually come to mind as the good places to live in the more general public (they lack the sexy media coverage), but the secret may be out since they have some great advantages with a reasonable cost of living.

Here are some of the cities profiled:

2. Portland, Oregon
Time-saving score: 21.5
Population: 557,706

It’s no hassle getting around this town, whether by bike or on the nation’s fourth-largest light-rail system. There are few airport delays, and speedy emergency services translate to one of the highest cardiac-arrest survival rates. And finding lunch is easy, with about 450 gourmet food carts around the city. “I could hit 100 carts in an hour,” says Brett Burmeister, who runs Foodcartsportland.com. “It takes less than five minutes to get a cheap, amazing lunch.”

Getting around: 4.5
Health and safety: 4.5
Information and technology: 4
Green time-savers: 4.5
Lifestyle: 4

8. Pittsburgh
Time-saving score: 18
Population: 310,037

Pittsburgh’s public-transit system is large for a city of its size, including three bus-only highways, making for a zippy trip to work. And who knew Steelers fans were such big readers? The city is in the top five for bookstores per capita.

Getting around: 3.5
Health and safety: 4
Information and technology: 4
Green time-savers: 4
Lifestyle: 2.5

16. (Tie) Cleveland

Time-saving score: 14
Population: 433,748

With the number two on-time airport in our survey and one of the shortest commutes (just 23.5 minutes), Cleveland scores additional points for its free downtown trolley and large number of farmers’ markets.

Getting around: 3
Health and safety: 3.5
Information and technology: 3
Green time-savers: 3.5
Lifestyle: 1

Is this list way off base or do you think they got it right? Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference.

Taming the Car

2010-03-16T05:00:00.000-04:00

Over at Planetizen Tim Halbur, Managing Editor, has this great post which is an excerpt from the architect Victor Gruen. I like this part:

To realize the abnormality of this situation, one need only try to visualize for a moment a convention of plumbers dictating to architects the entire construction industry how buildings should be designed, inside and out, in order to a) increase the employment opportunities in the plumbing fixtures industry, and b) facilitate their installation.

They would dictate that every room in every building must have a bathtub, water closet and three washstands -- otherwise unemployment in the appliance industry may result -- and that plumbing pipes of all types must no longer be forced into positions where they are hidden in walls and ceilings, but should be permitted to run any odd way, diagonally, vertically, or horizontally, through living rooms or offices. This demand would be rationalized as the facilitation of water and sewage traffic, as demanded by our era of technology. Every protest against these measures would them be ridiculed as reactionary -- or, worse, as "idealistic" -- and an attempt to turn the wheels of history backwards.

It is not hard to recognize, from this fictitious plumbing-convention story, that the traffic planners really do not behave too differently. They, too, demand as gospel the proposition that more and more automobiles should be manufactured, as otherwise the automotive appliance industry might be underemployed, and they most definitely insist that their plumbing pipes crisscross the public living rooms and working rooms of our cities. Anybody who opposes their views is characterized as either "an ivory tower planner," "a reactionary out of step with the miracles of technology," or an outright imbecile.

I think the plumber analogy works really well, but yet traffic engineers have dictated too much of how we use our landscape and that needs to fundamentally change.

Does it make sense to reduce car lanes for the benefit of bikes?

2010-03-12T05:00:00.001-05:00

This was the question of the day posed by MPR earlier this week. Well I think the answer is obvious, but some good conversation happened in the comments section. Here are some quotes:

The bicycle is a much more healthy, lower cost, sustainable mode of transport than the automobile and should be promoted. A comprehensive transit system that works with bikes would make a much more livable, healthy, sustainable city. Most people, especially those in their cars, don't realize what we've given up for the automobile.

Yes. We have an opportunity to address issues relating to public health, creating community, and improving infrastructure for all modes of transportation by supporting more bike lanes. I would also add that we need to make sure we address the maintenance of these improvements from plowing and upkeep, to safety and enforcement.

On that note, if it comes between money for light rail and money for bike lanes, I vote light rail.

So, all the plumbers, carpet cleaners, couriers, and UPS/Fedx drivers not to mention all the semi-trucks that deliver food to grocery stores, paint to hardware stores, clothing to clothing stores won't be able to do their job as efficient thus driving up costs of everything we buy. Its a feel good measure.
Does it make sense to reduce car lanes for the benefit of bikes? I like to think of it as much broader than the "benefit" of bikes - but more aptly the benefits of us all. Actively creating alternate transportation options for the residents of Minneapolis is a smart and forward thinking move. I think this expansion will ultimately be viewed as a great achievement, much in the same way the Minneapolis Parks System is viewed.

Does it really or are we being too short sighted and not taking the bigger picture into account?

Bike Sharing in MPLS: No bixi for me

2010-03-11T05:00:00.000-05:00

This article in the southwest journal of Minneapolis does a good job of talking about the past mistakes of other bike sharing programs, but it misses one critical question. Should Minneapolis encourage bike sharing at all in the first place?

I say NO. I hate to be a downer but I just don't understand why the US is even considering bike share programs. While Minneapolis can boost the second highest ridership per capita (the highest in winter months) this still equates to less than 2.5% of the total population. So this begs the question who is this program for? Why institute a program that lacks the necessary infrastructure?

The biggest problem are those most likely to use the program are the individuals (I know many of them) that are already daily commuters and own a stable of bikes. Yes, this bike share might help out in a pinch, but our numbers are too little to sustain such a program.

Second, is the perceptions that the general public has in general if using bikes as transportation. Biking makes you sweaty, biking is dangerous, and biking is simply for those people who can't own a car. While I really do love the Twin Cities, our population is not multi-modal (unless you include walking to your car). While this is changing, this is going to take decades to accomplish.

Third, the bike infrastructure in downtown is severely lacking to make biking, and even the share program, even look remotely appealing. While the Twin Cities does have some wonderful facilities, our down towns are lacking in serious bike space on our roads. A network of cycle tracks, lanes, paths, and blvds are needed to make such a program be a success.

Finally, we need to look at the bigger picture. I am not saying bike sharing is not a great program that can and will work, but our timing is way off. We need a better system for people to get around our region so that we can change travel behaviors and make biking a real option for people. Until biking is an option, what is the point of a bike share system for a public that frankly doesn't want or need it. Also, an epic failure now will only hinder future efforts when all that is needed is in place.

You can get all the info about the program here.

Vertical Farming

2010-03-10T06:36:00.001-05:00

$1 homes

2010-03-09T05:00:00.001-05:00

Detroit is in trouble and has been for some time now. $1 homes are not the way that this city is going to make a small climb back to its former glory. While this is a very top down approach, Detroit needs to get its density back. Yes, this means that raising entire blocks and clustering the housing should be a new approach. Let's get the folks closer together, share the infrastructure, and improve the mass transit system. For the land, it seems Detroit is well on its way to urban farming and feeding themselves.

Once again I am troubled by the cheap homes (that need serious capital to be livable) seems to mean housing for artists. I am not under the impression that this can't play some role in Detroit's future, but it can only be one very small piece to a much larger plan.

Here is a quote from this Guardian article:

Some might say Jon Brumit overpaid when he stumped up $100 (£65) for a whole house. Drive through Detroit neighbourhoods once clogged with the cars that made the city the envy of America and there are homes to be had for a single dollar.

You find these houses among boarded-up, burnt-out and rotting buildings lining deserted streets, places where the population is shrinking so fast entire blocks are being demolished to make way for urban farms.

"I was living in Chicago and a friend told me that houses in Detroit could be had for $500," said Brumit, a financially strapped artist who thought he had little prospect of owning his own property. "I said if you hear of anything just a little cheaper let me know. Within a week he emails me a photo of a house for $100. I thought that's just crazy. Why not? It's a way to cut our expenses way down and kind of open up a lot of time for creative projects because we're not working to pay the rent."

Houses on sale for a few dollars are something of an urban legend in the US on the back of the mortgage crisis that drove millions of people from their homes. But in Detroit it is no myth.

My experience here in the Twin Cities has proven to me that even a dollar house is usually not worth it. The foreclosure crisis and years of neglect have made many of these home financially unfeasible to rehab because the costs exceed the cost to build new. While I am usually the last person who wants to see homes torn down, Detroit has some hard decision to make moving forward.

MOA: The Mall of America

2010-03-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't know the Mall of America is here in Minnesota. It has become a regional, national, and international destination. In the Twin Cities region, like it or not, it has become a destination. With 4.2 million square feet you would think that we would have figured out to take full advantage of the mall's success.

The Mall of America has to be one of the largest public/private spaces in the country. It does connect to LRT and buses, but has also become an automobile storage facility. Currently the mall supplies over 20,000 parking spaces and the built environment around the mall reflects this. Rather than challenge the mall and its parking space issue, why not take advantage of this destination to create a friendlier, healthier, and more diverse environment for all. The mall can be challenged to created a better mixed-use plan for the larger area.

I propose outdoor recreational areas, walking paths, and better bike facilities. Why not even throw a mix-used development in the plan. With its close proximity to the airport and Health Partners it could provide work force housing where people would only be a few LRT stops away from work and home.

The Mall of America can be a further success by embracing the surrounding area and tying in what happens inside the mall to what is happening outside. Is this a crazy idea, just might be, but what I do know is the MOA isn't going anywhere, anytime soon, so let's make it a positive anchor in the region.

Breaking the Law, Breaking the Law

2010-03-05T05:00:00.001-05:00

As a daily bike commuter I will admit that I break the law. While this issue rears its ugly head in the cycling community and other transportation networks we still don't see the real issue at hand.

I break the law because the current system is set up for one mode of transportation: the private car.

The renegades are out in force rolling through stop signs and red lights across the nation. You had better put the car in the garage and keep the kids inside, or at least this is what the media would have you believe when it comes to cyclists. We are car hating nuts and that is why we ride our bikes. As with every group some cyclists are reckless, no doubt about it. Let's look at the facts for a moment.

People killed by cars: 37,261 (2008 numbers)

People killed by cyclists: Not enough to record (let me know if you find a reliable source)

This NY Times article and study prove it all. Cyclists = Danger. My concern is that we are trying to put a square peg in the circle. The current infrastructure, design, and laws are not set up for cyclists or pedestrians. We are trying to work within a system that simply does not see us as relevant. If you don't believe me, dust of that 10 speed hanging in your garage and ride your bike to work, school, or the store tomorrow. It will be an eye opening experience for sure.

Smart Growth isn't FREE

2010-03-04T05:00:00.002-05:00

Development of any kind always comes with a price tag. Even good development, smart growth, can actually cost quite a bit. Smart growth also has another kink in the chain because it also has to do with timing. Smart growth needs to happen early and often, yes, the usually means money before concrete plans for any development are in place.

For instance- I run a community development corporation in St. Paul and we are working on a corridor that is going to lead into one of the new light rail stations. Now, for about a year now I have been trying to secure funds for a smart growth plan for this corridor so it can take advantage of the opportunities and challenges that are going to be presented with the new LRT line and station. My requests to date have fallen on deaf ears.

My fear is that we are going to wait too long and private developers are going to move in and the community with be on the defensive, instead of the offensive, which is where we want to be. This process, planning, and work all takes money. Smart growth plans are great, but who is going to fund this planning five years out?

From the Washing Examiner article:

A lack of money is hobbling local governments' plans to transform their towns from sprawling cul-de-sac suburbs into dense urban centers. "The future of this region lies in creating walkable, livable communities," said Cheryl Cort of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. "Our country is broke, our local governments are broke and we need to make much better decisions about our investments."

Instead of clash for clunkers how about cash for communities, it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Denver's Regional Transportation Plans on Hold

2010-03-03T07:27:00.003-05:00

Denver had achieved what few metro regions can: a transportation plan and buy in for increased taxes to build that plan. Most know regional transportation planning is extremely difficult when you are trying to get all the different players to cooperate and then agree on a way to pay for. Unfortunately the down turn in the economy has basically stalled the entire project and some lines now might never get built.

From this Economist article:

IN 2004 Denver became a public-transport planner’s dream. The sprawling western metropolis approved a $4.7 billion project, known as FasTracks, which aimed to add six new light and commuter railway lines along with 18 miles (29km) of bus lanes across the metropolitan area, all to be built by 2017. Thirty-two regional mayors backed the plan and residents agreed to help pay for it with a 0.4% sales tax, topped up with federal grant money. At the time, John Hickenlooper, Denver’s mayor, said that “the whole community came together in the region at a level that we’ve never seen before.”

Nerves are starting to fray. Critics argue that RTD’s revenue projections were flawed and that it lacks the capacity to build several lines at once. Towns and businesses north of Denver are angry that a northbound rail line is scheduled to be one of the last completed, arguing that it may never be built even though their residents pay an equal share of the sales tax.
Like many western cities, Denver is in desperate need of more public transport. Its metropolitan area has grown by half a million residents since 2000, and the population is predicted to increase from 2.7m in 2005 to 4.3m by 2035. Years of highway-driven sprawl have stretched the city and its suburbs across more than 700 square miles (up from 530 as recently as 1995), meaning that few people live close to work. The average commute is expected almost to double by 2035, adding to the time wasted snarled in traffic.

We need to find new ways to pay for transit other than our local tax base. In difficult times, such as these, when transit improvements are usually needed the most, cities are barely getting by. Let's hope that the Denver region can think outside the box and find other sources of capital.

The Walkable Suburb

2010-03-02T06:50:00.003-05:00

While Rockville seems to be a success by many measures for a walkable pedestrian friendly suburb parking still plagues the town center. Merchants struggle with lack of shoppers and have (per the usual) decided the parking is the key issue. Parking usually is an issue, but retail experts have illustrated that parking is only one minor reason people stay away.

From the Washington Post article:

Rockville Town Square is two blocks from a Metro station, but merchants said many customers drive there. Suburban shoppers accustomed to free parking have balked at paying for garage parking, merchants said.

Rockville officials reduced garage rates and offered free parking during the winter holiday season. Town Square merchants also agreed to hand out fliers at the Shady Grove and Rockville Metro stations, advertising $60-a-month commuter parking in the town center garages. The hope is that those commuters might shop or eat on their way to and from work, even if it means they contribute to traffic congestion.

Seth Harry, founder of a Columbia-based urban design firm, said the willingness of area residents to drive to Rockville Town Square shows that "people crave the experience to park and walk around. . . . People want to be somewhere. There's a 'there' there. That's an experience people don't always get in suburbia."

I doubt the real issue is parking but more that people want a more authentic experience. It takes years and decades to create the most desirable neighborhoods in cities, so when developers create the mix-used planned communities they should realize it will also take years for it to gain its grip and become the "spot" to be.

Touring Japan on Track Bikes

2010-02-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

Midtown Greenway Minneapolis

2010-02-26T05:00:00.001-05:00

Katie Hatt sits down with Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin for a discussion about the Midtown Greenway Project and the Midtown Exchange in Minneapolis.

Most and Least Affordable Cities

2010-02-25T07:31:00.003-05:00

I always love these lists. It is never a surprise what makes the list for the most and least affordable cities. Are we learning anything new about ourselves? The Midwest for years continues to lose jobs which has created affordable cities, but they lack the economies of the most expensive cities. The real question is how do we merge the two so that affordable cities can have a stronger job base while the more expensive cities make it more affordable for people to stay?

Here is the list of the top five most and least affordable:

Indianapolis, IN

Detroit, MI

Dayton, OH

Youngstown, OH

Akron, OH

NY, NY

San Francisco, CA

Honolulu, HI

Santa Ana, CA

Los Angeles, CA

Was Jane Jacobs Wrong?

2010-02-24T05:00:00.001-05:00

Jane Jacobs had grown into what she was fighting against: orthodoxy. Today planners, developers, architects, and basically anyone who has read the book has quoted Jane Jacobs to justify the project or goal that they wanted to get done. Jane Jacobs is now used to implement the things she was trying to fight against. But did she paint a picture that was to idealistic and didn't take into account gentrification, displacement, and other urban concerns? The real question: when does a neighborhood become too successful?

Sharon Zukin believes that Jane might have been on the wrong path all along. From this NY Times article:

But if Ms. Jacobs is much hailed as an urban prophet, Ms. Zukin is a heretic on her canonization. She views Ms. Jacobs as a passionate and prescient writer, but also one who failed to reckon with steroidal gentrification and the pervasive hunger of the upper middle class for ever more homogenous neighborhoods.

The pattern in places like Williamsburg and Atlantic Yards, Ms. Zukin said, is dreary and inexorable: Middle-class “pioneers” buy brownstones and row houses. City officials rezone to allow luxury towers, which swell the value of the brownstones. And banks and real estate companies unleash a river of capital, flushing out the people who gave the neighborhoods character.

Ms. Jacobs viewed cities as self-regulating organisms, and placed her faith in local residents. But Ms. Zukin argues that without more aggressive government regulation of rents and zoning, neighborhoods will keep getting more stratified.

The new gentrification is upon us:

There’s the Magnolia Bakery, where perpetual lines snake out the door not so much because of its excellent cupcakes as because of its appearance on “Sex and the City.” There’s Marc Jacobs, where the lines are no less endless. A Ralph Lauren, a Madden, and a children’s store with the most adorable petite $250 pants. Ms. Zukin sighed.

“It’s another Madison Avenue, or the Short Hills mall,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “Really, did we need that?”

One might shrug off her lament as a song soaked in nostalgia. But Ms. Zukin draws on new scholarship suggesting that this is not the old gentrification, the house-by-house accretion familiar to Ms. Jacobs. What happens now, she said, is powerful and breathtakingly fast — a product of upper-middle-class aesthetics, and newspapers, magazines and blogs that compete to find new “destination neighborhoods.”

Is Jane Jacobs wrong or has the world changed since she wrote her ground breaking book? I would say that it might be a bit of both, but who could have predicted what is happening today 40 or 50 years ago.

Drive Thrus Take hit in down economy

2010-02-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

This was an interesting article in the Star Tribune the other day. According to the article the breakfast industry (drive thru fast food) has been thriving in the past decade because workers are in a rush to get to work and grab something fast. The result had been major chains opening the doors quite early. It seems this uptick is done:

Breakfast sales had grown at a ravenous pace during the boom years as busy workers scarfed down sausage biscuits and other fare on the way to the office, fueling a $57 billion business and accounting for as much as a quarter of sales at some fast-food chains. Chains opened earlier and expanded their morning menus to accommodate the traffic as lunch and dinner sales flat-lined.

But as the jobless rate hit 26-year highs, fewer people headed to work, and even those who did worried about their spending. So they poured bowls of cereal at home or simply slept in, putting breakfast on the back burner.

What I thought was interesting was how these hard economic times for the most part seem to be changing our behaviors in a good way. For example this alone means Mom and Dad are home longer, have quality time in the morning with each other and kids, are eating better (hopefully), and maybe enjoying a few extra minutes to themselves. Then it got me thinking even more. With fewer dollars what else goes by the way side?

Let's see - living closer to work, reducing the use of private automobile (maybe even a 1 car household), wiser spending on food, increased importance on quality and not quantity, and better understanding of how this all works together. So this article gives me hope that people can see how land use, transportation, education, health, wealth, housing, and quality of life are really intertwined and all this from not using the drive thru anymore.

Freeway Expansion: Moving in the Wrong Direction

2010-02-22T05:00:00.002-05:00

It seems that we have learned very little from the last fifty years of planning. The Twin Cities region is going to put precedence on a freeway expansion project above other statewide projects because of the economic development potential. Yet, this is how the future development is described in this MPR article:

St. Paul, Minn. — Despite a lack of state funds, officials in northwestern Hennepin County are pushing for a new freeway interchange they say would unleash development and create jobs.Political support for the would-be Interstate 94 interchange near Dayton and Rogers may end up placing it ahead of other projects state transportation officials deem worthier.
With no exit near Dayton and Rogers on I-94, traffic zooms right past on what is one of the region's fast growing corridors, much to the dismay of some local elected officials. The land is filled with thousands of acres of farm fields, wetlands and woods with lots of space for homes and businesses.
Dayton Mayor Doug Anderson said adding an interchange here will unlock development.

We have emptying suburbs because of the housing and economic crisis. Even the Twin Cities are suffering their fair share of the problem, but yet undeveloped land out of the city center is our target for more housing. I must be missing something because this seems to be the type of project we don't want at this time or in the near future. The region needs to concentrate on what it is we have and how to retain it. We need to get politics out of planning.

Electric cars will not save us

2010-02-19T05:00:00.002-05:00

Will electric cars make our lives better and save the environment? The electric car has become the new silver bullet in America that will solve our transportation and energy issues. We are still missing the big picture. Wasted infrastructure that currently is in place and the new infrastructure that needs to be put in place for electric cars to be a viable option.

Cars are Cars and a battery pack is not going to change the design and unhealthy environments are auto dependency has created. We need to move towards a real multi-modal lifestyle, where the electric car is only option of many that a individual could use.

From the NY Times:

Dan Sperling, the director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, estimated that a typical electric car battery would cost the automaker $12,000, and a 240-volt charging unit would cost a household at least $1,500.
Without huge subsidies, “the reality is, these electric vehicles are not going to sweep the industry and become a major share of the market for a very long time,” Mr. Sperling said.

Do we need to continue to subsidize cars even if they are running on electricity instead of gas? I say we pass.

Denver's light Rail

2010-02-18T05:00:00.001-05:00

Snowcalming

2010-02-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

While the East coast and Mid-Atlantic have been hit hard with snow, we are lucky enough in the Twin Cities to have the snow fall, and with our cold temperatures, never melts. The result this winter has had the ups and downs, but one advantage is snowcalming. Basically so much snow accumulates on the streets it pretty much turns all the streets into very narrow streets where only one car can pass at a time. This results in people moving slowly and much safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

While you might think these streets are bad to ride on, they do clear up nice for cyclists, but the width pretty much stays the same. MPR had this story:

All the snow is also causing headaches in Minneapolis. City officials created a video to publicize the rules regarding the parking ban that was instituted last week for the first time in nearly a decade, which restricts parking to one side of some streets until early April.
The video shows a big red fire truck barely squeezing between parked cars on a residential block. Alex Jackson, Minneapolis fire chief, faces the camera and says "vehicles parked on the even side of non-snow emergency streets can be ticketed and towed, in an effort to make these streets easier to navigate for fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles."

Living in the tundra does have its advantages at times.

PDX passes the bike plan

2010-02-16T05:00:00.000-05:00

I think this is big news in the planning world. Sam Adams, Mayor of Portland, proves that planning for bikes is and should be a process that gets done. The plan was approved by the city council and got a hefty pot of money to get things started.

From the Portland Business Journal:

While still finalizing funding details, Portland’s City Council on Thursday unanimously passed a measure that could spend as much as $613 million over 20 years on new bike paths and other bicycling infrastructure needs.
The vote included approval for Portland Mayor Sam Adams’ suggestion for a $20 million “kickstart” that would come from savings on Bureau of Environmental Services programs and expenditures for the city’s Big Pipe project that are being phased out as the project wraps up. Adams also said he can find savings in lower bids from contractors during the current slow economic climate.

It is great the plan is passed, but currently has some real dollars behind it as well. Too often legislation gets passed, plans are approved, and great ideas explored. They then sit on the shelf at the planning office because no real capital had been allocated to actually make them a reality. It is great to see the $20 million starting pot established. You can read more about the new plan here.

Snow Emergency = Less Parking

2010-02-15T05:00:00.000-05:00

Minneapolis snow emergency once again proves that we don't need all that on-street parking. Currently in effect this emergency bans parking on one side of the street on non-emergency routes.

Three more stations

2010-02-12T07:42:00.002-05:00

Press conference about the three stations added to the Central Corridor LRT line. Hopefully a mitigation fund for small businesses will be next.

Central Corridor lawsuits

2010-02-11T05:00:00.001-05:00

It should be no surprise that the largest transit project in Minnesota has caused multiple lawsuits to be filed. What is disappointing is that two of our beloved institutions have taken this as an opportunity to fill the coffers. MPR and the University of Minnesota have both decided that lawsuits are the way to go about mitigation for claims that can easily be resolved. Why resolve them when you have the chance to get millions out of the deal.

On the other hand, the Rondo neighborhood (who remember I-94 plowing through the neighborhood) have some real concerns about the impact on their neighborhoods. The group who has the most at stake are the small businesses that line University Avenue and make that corridor what it is today. Without these businesses central corridor would be a pipe dream.

The Pioneer Press understands all the players and has this to say:

And could public transportation have a better friend in the media than MPR? Why, the very collective nature of the train is right up their ideological alley, except, well, not if they actually have to see it or hear it or feel it rumble. Their studios are too delicate, we are told, and the prospect of one of their pitchmen having to start over on an ad for biscuits or T-shirts or CDs or memberships or whatever they are begging for around the clock is enough to make them stamp their feet and demand accommodation.

At the other end of the line, the researchers at the University of Minnesota are worried the trains will rattle their test tubes or slosh something out of a mortar. God knows what they are up to.

And in the middle are the underdog small-business proprietors on University Avenue who quite likely will see their efforts to make an honest buck get trampled. These people should have been more careful whom they voted for. You have white people with gleaming smiles at both ends of the corridor and a generally mixed ethnic bag of people in the middle trying to chase what is left of the American dream. They have sued, too, and they'd better get theirs. The old Rondo neighborhood took it on the chin the first time for I-94. This time around, under the umbrella of the NAACP, neighborhood groups argue that the line violates environmental justice laws, which is another way of saying that those who want windmills don't care who gets disrupted by them, just so it isn't them.

MPR and the U have taken away what really needs to be addressed, the thrivability of small businesses before, during, and after construction of the light rail. While not all the business want the LRT, it would make the most sense to work with them now to make sure those that want to stay and thrive, can.

New Town

2010-02-10T05:00:00.001-05:00

Re-examining the Big Box

2010-02-09T05:00:00.001-05:00

Ian Sacs over at Planetizen has some great ideas on how we can make those big box stores, and the parking lots that front them, more usable in the future. He sees the current commercial downturn as a way to rethink the redevelopment of the box store.

The idea is simple. On major arterials and highways violently parsed with endless curb-cuts where roadway capacity is high but congestion persists, shopping centers can be scheduled for a facelift by eating away at some of that “peak event” parking typically required by zoning codes along the parking lot perimeter. Usually, the edges along the highway are lined with de minimus sidewalks and various forms of sad landscaping and grass polygons. Replace these borders with two-floor retail and office combinations so that the swath of remaining parking spaces are effectively screened from the street by something more human;namely, people walking in and out of offices, shops, and restaurants along a sidewalk. Keep the driveways, keep the majority of parking, and keep the monster big box stores on the far end of the property. That would be step one.
Step two is a re-think of the big box structure itself so that the property can simultaneously add rateable property and utilize the mixed-use, shared parking argument to justify no increase – or a slight decrease – in overall parking spaces and traffic. To do this, build on top of the existing warehouse shell with residential units such as apartments and condominiums up to three or four more levels, or mix that with some office space on the second level. Use the rear of the buildings as alleyways for maintenance, trash collection, moving, vestibules with breezeways slicing through sections of big box monoliths, elevators to the upper levels, and some short-term visitor parking clear of the shopping activities up front. Throw in some landscaping in the parking lot and build out those original pitiful sidewalks abutting the storefront so that space is available for outdoor restaurant and cafe seating, and the property transforms into something more like a little village.

I really like the approach of creating the feel of downtowns, but still keeping the current site as is for the most part. It is a new infill technique that will bring things back to a human scale. Could you imagine if this works, those giant 6 lane roads could become major multi-modal corridors. I hope Mr. Sacs keeps the good ideas coming.

$600 million bike plan

2010-02-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

Portland's Mayor Sam Adams wants a $600 million bike plan to be implemented for 2030. While knee jerk reactions are the norm, this article makes some great points:

The 2030 Portland Bicycle Plan, envisioning a future when 25 percent of trips are made by bike, is expected to coast to approval when it goes before the City Council on Thursday. It's easy to green-light America's most ambitious investment in bicycling when it would be funded down the road. But according to city transportation officials, the plan to build 681 miles of new bikeways over the next 20 years will eventually cost $613 million.

By comparison, the MAX Green Line cost $575 million, and all transportation projects in the metro area add up to about $630 million a year. Portland Mayor Sam Adams doesn't flinch at the estimated cost. He talks of making neighborhoods more livable, transportation more affordable and reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. "Can we do those things without this bike plan?" Adams said. "I think it would be very difficult."

More than $600 million for bicycle improvements "is definitely a big number and I appreciate that," Geller said. "But in transportation dollars, it goes a long way." By contrast, he said, "It would build only about 12 miles of urban freeway."

An extensive bike network that can get people using bikes up to 25% or 12 miles of freeway, hard choice for sure.

2050 Journey

2010-02-06T14:52:00.003-05:00