What impact does increased housing have on cities? This is particularly important to cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul, which have flatlined in terms of population growth as of late, according to the 2010 Census. (For a very good article about this, read Steve Berg at MinnPost.) This is very disturbing for a city with so much potential. So what do we do about this? Lot’s of things, from plans to zoning for infill development, financial incentives for developers to develop and residents to choose the city, to imrovements to transit and the public realm. But what about getting existing…
A new video by Streetfilms looks at the many blessings of urbanism in Melbourne, Australia. Watch it here at Kaid Benfield’s blog, brought to you via Mike Lydon. The lessons of good urbanism abound. It should be noted Jan Gehl has a role in the success of Melbourne, as documented in an article I wrote for ULI here. Enjoy!
I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is the Central Corridor light rail line, connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul, received full funding last week. Trains will start running in 2014. The bad news is within one day of the funding announcement, the St. Paul City Council voted to reduce density along its route! Two steps forward and one step back. The Twin Cities will see its second light rail line, serving downtown Minneapolis and the planned multimodal hub there, the University of Minnesota, an array of neighorhoods along University Avenue, the Minnesota state…
The Big Dig West made it in to the New York Times this past Sunday, prominently on the National page in the print edition. Read the story here. As well, check out this excellent short movie at Streetfilms, starring John Norquist of CNU and speaks broadly to the issue of urban freeway removal, and has a lot of takeaway value for Seattle. The good news is the anti-tunnel folks in Seattle gathered thousands more signatures than the minimum required, and the proposed tunnel appears to be going up for public vote in August. We’ll see how a lawsuit by the…
Reading the first chapter of Peter Calthorpe’s important new book, “Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change,” I could not help but think to myself, “sounds great Peter, but how in the hell are we going to accomplish this?” I was skeptical to be sure. But given the growing nuclear disaster in Japan and this week’s feeble attempt at energy policy by President Obama, there isn’t much choice. I now believe decision-makers everywhere should consider Mr. Calthorpe’s approach. At first blush, Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change sets some audacious goals. By 2050 each American must reduce their carbon…
The Urban Land Institute’s Daniel Rose Center recently released a report entitled “Implementing Vision for Transit-Oriented Development, based on a ULI panel conducted in February 2010. The panel and report focused on development in two light rail station areas in Minneapolis, including the 38th Street station. Seeing as I live a short four-minute walk from that station, I paid particular attention. Among the recommendations from the ULI panel for the 38th Street station area are some of the usual suspects, including public improvements to the station such as a plaza or identifying element, pedestrian connections and better streetscaping in the…
The current effort in Cinncinnati to cancel its streetcar project is both unnerving and a travesty, given recent development along its route. According to a great post on Streetsblog, the project receives a top score by the state of Ohio’s Transportation Review Advisory Council. It is predictable but no less a travesty that elected officials would threaten to pull funding for a transportation project that scores well, but according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, that is exactly what is happening. More damning is the provision by Tom Patton, the Ohio Senate Transportation Committee Chair, to single out this specific rail project…
The online magazine of the Urban Land Institute this week published an article about the Cotton Belt in Dallas/Fort Worth entitled A Value-Capture Strategy for Transportation in Texas. (You have to be ULI member to read it, but I’ll tell you the premise.) The value-capture strategy in question is an effort to find alternative and creative sources of financing for the construction of the 62-mile Cotton Belt rail line, which slices across north Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) selected Scott Polikov of the Gateway Planning Group to create the Partnership for Livable Communities and…
Are cities the real America? For the answer, just check out Jon Stewart’s interview with Ed Glaeser last month on The Daily Show. Better yet, read Glaeser’s new book, “Truimph of the City.” In it, he presents a very clear-eyed view of the economic value of cities, and strongly argues that urban living is also greener. “We must discard the view that environmentalism means living around trees,” he writes. “We must free ourselves from our tendency to see cities as buildings, and remember that the real city is made of flesh, not concrete.” I like that very much. Glaeser is…
The tension is palpable in Seattle as an effort to get the Alaskan Viaduct replacement up for public vote (again). The tunnel replacement currently being proposed is a bad idea for Seattle, as it is excessively costly and not good urbanism. Not to mention it isn’t needed – the city has reduced its driving in the past decade while increasing population. But don’t let me tell you. Just read this article in The Stranger here. For those worried about the gridlock that will occur if there is no tunnel built, consider this article in the Seattle Times. Think about it.…
