Comments for Joe Urban

Comment on The Zoning Battle Over Al’s Breakfast – A Form Based Code With a Side of Bacon by Chris Iverson

Chris Iverson — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:34:11 +0000

Excellent post. I think understanding the aesthetics of Dinkytown as a whole is more important that focussing on the 14th Avenue block. Like you said, development can preserve the characteristics of the area if it is built carefully and with proper guidance.

Comment on Portland is Just a Street in Minneapolis – The Pearl District vs. North Loop Smackdown by Groundwork » Blog Archive » Interesting information..

Groundwork » Blog Archive » Interesting information.. — Tue, 28 May 2013 15:56:01 +0000

[...] http://joe-urban.com/archive/portland-is-just-a-street-in-minneapolis-the-pearl-district-vs-north-lo… [...]

Comment on CNU – Elitist or Grassroots Urbanism? (Dispatch from CNU 20 – Pt. 1) by Linklist: May 14, 2012 | Transportationist.org

Linklist: May 14, 2012 | Transportationist.org — Mon, 27 May 2013 17:16:19 +0000

[...] Sam Newberg alias Joe Urban: CNU – Elitist or Grassroots Urbanism? [...]

Comment on A Bold Vision for a Downtown Park and a More Beautiful City by Joe Urban » Blog Archive » Let’s Get the Urban Details Right in Downtown East

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:58:16 +0000

[...] A Bold Vision for a Downtown Park and a More Beautiful City [...]

Comment on A Bold Vision for a Downtown Park and a More Beautiful City by Sam Newberg

Sam Newberg — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:14:43 +0000

This is primarily due to lack of programming but also design. Mpls should look to Discovery Green and Bryant Square Park for inspiration and programming.

Comment on A Bold Vision for a Downtown Park and a More Beautiful City by Janne

Janne — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:53:14 +0000

I’m continually disappointed by that park next to the Gutherie. It was sold with the same, “A park for downtown!” but the design is not conducive to use, so all you see are a few people hiking up to the top of the hill, and lots of people exclaiming over how pretty it is from inside the walls of the Gutherie.

Comment on We Need Transit and the Urbanism that Surrounds It by Alex Cecchini

Alex Cecchini — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:35:23 +0000

I will second the notion: Right on. I would argue that land-use is everything, transit comes well before the transit. We need a drastic shift in how we allow our places to be built. Our streets are too often roads. Our zoning prevents us from building things we use daily closer to each other. Our zoning also prevents us from improving our already relatively strong areas. Our property taxes discourage this development. Our parking minimums ensure a large portion of our land id dedicated to storing cars, which also helps ensure there are plenty of cars on the streets and not people (and when there are people, they are treated second class). Our building codes ensure our homes and businesses don’t interact with the street very well.

We need to change these things, very soon. If we do these at the same time as we build out our transit network in existing strong areas (as Matt notes), we will have success. My personal take is we should stop focusing on building lines (LRT or BRT) to far-flung suburbs in EP, Lakeville, Woodbury, etc unless there is significant investment in better land-use there at the same time (not just a small 1/4 acre of TOD with a giant free parking structure closer to the transit stop). Let’s get some rapid deployment of aBRT routes within Minneapolis and St Paul and let LRT follow on the ones that are successful.

Love the work you’re doing.

Comment on We Need Transit and the Urbanism that Surrounds It by Matt

Matt — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:34:14 +0000

Right on. I think one mistake often made is trying to build high quality transit where it is easy rather than where it is warranted. This means shifting our idea of transit to serve strong places rather than to attract development, and prioritizing quality incremental expansion rather than these megaprojects. If we did this, the urban alignments of Southwest and Bottineau would be quite different.

Comment on We Must Do More to Improve Hiawatha Avenue Pedestrian Crossings by Joe Urban

Joe Urban — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:58:04 +0000

Good news – Hennepin County has added the south side 46th Street crossing in as part of their plan for pedestrian improvements.

Comment on Bikes and Businesses Must Unite by Laurence Qamar

Laurence Qamar — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:55:57 +0000

Sam, Excellent post! I have been making these very points here in Portland, Oregon for a long time. We have a fantastic and progressive bike culture that is the direct result of good city policy and local advocacy for bike routes and lanes throughout the city. However, the removal of on-street parking not only in commercial zones but in front of residences has had unintended, and often unrealized negative consequences in places.

You articulated the dichotomy, and often unpopular trade offs between on-street parking, storefront business success, and bike lanes…an issue that is often overlooked. I have even heard and read bike advocates say that private cars should not be stored (parked) in public right of way. The (il)logical outcome of that proposition would be commercial strips with on-site parking lots (usually in front), streets with multiple lanes for easy car movement, on-street bike lanes, and no on-street parking. Now that would be a real unintended consequence that I hope none of my biking friends would advocate.