The Downtown Journal in Minneapolis recently published an article of mine about the future of the skyways. Read the Down With Skyways article here. I suggested, as part of a larger plan to improve the livability of downtown Minneapolis, that we should consider a long term plan to remove them. Well, both the Downtown Journal and I got more comments from those opposed than in favor, and that is putting it nicely. At any rate, I honestly hope this can be part of a larger discussion about improving public space in our downtown, an issue that certainly needs addressing. Comments…

Cities and metropolitan areas must become a greater priority among national policy makers. The Brookings Institution in November launched an effort to raise awareness of the issue in this election year. A New York Times editorial from earlier this week discussed the lack of urban policy discussion among candidates. For such an urban nation we are very rural-focused in our folklore and imagery. As the Times editorial notes, most presidential candidates preach to the rural crowd, but not one presidential hopeful has a comprehensive agenda for cities or even metro areas. Obviously the frontier imagery and mentality will never leave…

Golf is a pretty OK sport. I play twice a year. Apparently its popularity is declining, however. According to an article in today’s New York Times, the number of Americans who golf more than 25 times a year declined from 6.9 million in 2000 to 4.6 million in 2005. That is a huge loss. This corresponds with a broader decline in other outdoor activities such as hiking, tennis and skiing, which is a little troubling considering our rising obesity rate in this country. The decline in golf has real estate development implicatons as well. The Times article indicates 3,000 golf…

Once again, the Minnesota Legislature is convening with transportation as a hot topic. The Democrat-controlled house and senate (actually – DFL, for Democrat, Farmer, Labor) tried last year to pass a tax increase to pay for road and transit improvements, but were thwarted by Minnesota’s Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty, who prefers to borrow for transportation rather than go against his promise to raise taxes. This is a new legislative session and a new year. Once again, the DFL in the Legislature has nearly enough votes to override a veto, but not quite. A few key Republicans have joined the DFL…