Recent development debacles and near-debacles in Minneapolis have made me wonder if form-based codes could help the development process here. I’ve been researching form-based codes around the country lately, and I believe they may well have a role in my hometown. At a minimum, they can provide developers, city staff and elected officials, and neighbors with more certainty when a new development is proposed. There are other benefits, but certainty alone would be very valuable. What is a form-based code? It is a land use regulatory tool that is based on the allowable/preferred form of buildings versus allowable uses on…

Recent proposed urban infill developments in Austin Texas have raised concerns from residents in the Zilker neighborhood of that city. The Austin American Statesman published an article about existing residents’ concern over increased traffic in the area, prompting a response from the Austin Contrarian. Perhaps the most interesting quote is in the Statesman from a developer, Larry Warshaw. He says, “Urban residential development is the answer, not the problem. When neighborhood activists use traffic as a tactical argument to oppose a residential project, it means they don’t actually have any substantive reason to oppose the project, other than the fact…

Minneapolis is seeking a new planning director, which is interesting in light of the recent “ousting” of Brent Toderian as planning director for the visionary city of Vancouver. New Urban News/Better Cities & Towns provides insightful coverage here. Does the experience in Vancouver bring lessons for the city of Minneapolis as they search for a new planning director. I think so. On the one hand, we can play it safe and bring in someone who works well with the mayor, city council and neighborhoods. The lessons of Vancouver point that way, right? Not so fast. Someone has to push the…

(With all apologies to Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and others who are actually funny for a living – the following post is no laughing matter.) It is about time the Star Tribune finally came to its senses and printed a sane, sound critique of the boondoggle that is light rail. Moreover, liberal socialist elitist responses such as this one at Streets.mn are pure drivel, a “train to nowhere,” if you will. Even discussions by so-called “engineers” reek of anti-road demagoguery. Their positions will ultimately be “derailed” by the reality that cars are here to stay. First off, David Osmek, the…

And stop calling me Shirley! This week’s response to last Sunday’s Strib article about skyways suggests that we look to Venice for ideas about our skyway system is creative at best, loopy at worst, I cannot decide. What I do know is it would be horrendously expensive and legally impossible to achieve, so let’s just move on. But before I dismiss the entire idea, there are some nuggets of good ideas here. I love the idea of naming the skyways. Why not? Even if I were in charge, the skyways will be here for a while and they are hard…

While my post on this website and at Streets.mn suggesting that we gradually remove the skyways from downtown Minneapolis over a 50-year timeline got a couple compliments and a rebuke by Streets.mn’s own David Levinson, it was also picked up by the Star Tribune. In that piece, Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak was quoted as saying “I don’t think we need any more skyways…I don’t think they don’t help at all.” Well, there are 68 comments and counting on the Star Tribune website, most of them over-my-dead-body defenses of skyways. Many are outright angry at the mayor for suggesting they aren’t…

It is a common rule of thumb that stores and malls achieve maximum parking usage on the last Saturday before Christmas. If this is true, then take a look at this photo, taken at 1:30PM on Saturday, December 17th, 2011, of the Target store parking lot in Midtown, at Lake and Hiawatha. It sure seems like we don’t need this much parking. This particular Target, which was renovated recently, is located in an area of the city that allows for a lower percentage of trips to be made by car. For one, I suspect the automobile ownership rate is lower…

The following post shares a similar argument as an article I wrote four years ago for the Downtown Journal (in Minneapolis). I was chastised at the time and suppose I will be again. However, with the recent opening of a new, $3 million skyway link to better connect the Accenture tower to adjacent blocks, as well as the new Downtown 2025 Plan taking on the “Skyway Paradox,” I was persuaded to bring it up again. So here goes: Isn’t it about time to start removing our skyways? A few years ago, Jen Gehl, a notable and well-respected Danish urbanist, was…

Are we doing enough to create good cities and urbanism? Due to property rights, we cannot always control exactly what is built on private land, but we can certainly have a say in the ever-so-important public realm. An article earlier this month entitled Treasuring Urban Oases, featuring renowned urbanist Alexander Garvin, as well as examples in my own Minneapolis, would suggest that we are not doing enough in this respect. Garvin’s premise is we should reverse our process, thinking first about the design of public space and then private development. Garvin suggests that New York is not unlike other cities…

The proposed streetcar took a huge step forward last week, according to the UrbanCincy website. Rustwire pointed out the challenges and obstacles overcome to get to this point. And I’m glad, because the city deserves it. And most of all, this new transportation improvement will complement some land use improvements to the city, the way land use and transit should relate. The streetcar will connect the downtown and riverfront (The Banks) to the emerging Over-the-Rhine/Gateway Quarter district, renovated Washington Park, Music Hall, the Findlay Market and eventually Uptown and the University of Cincinnati. Connecting employment, entertainment and emerging housing opportunities…