Smarting Off

Can We Rethink the American Dream?

2012-02-23T15:38:00.000-06:00

Last summer, five design teams took this challenge. The teams were made up of architects, urban planners, landscape architects, economists, ecologists and engineers; they were led by principals of the architecture firms MOS, Visible Weather, Studio Gang Architects, WORKac and Zago Architecture. This collaboration was spearheaded by MoMA and is now part of the exhibition Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream at MoMA.

Each group explored new ways of looking at suburbs and how we can retrofit them to fit the very real needs of today including:

Greater walkability for our public health and for our aging population
Greater density to enlarge green space (and access to agriculture) and reduce sprawl
Greater variety of housing, including affordability and access for aging population

Visit their website and watch the excellent videos of the projects. LandOf.org particularly recommends these:

The Garden in the Machine (Cicero, IL) by Studio Gang Architects
Nature City (Keizer, OR) by WORKac

Visit the Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream website. And if you’ll be in New York, be sure to see the exhibition!

Week in Review: Feb. 7 through Feb. 17, 2012

2012-02-17T13:36:00.000-06:00

McCollum Grills Salazar on St. Croix River Crossing
By Kevin Diaz, Star Tribune
From the article: “‘It represents bad fiscal policy, bad transportation policy, and bad environmental policy,’ said McCollum, noting that the fiscal watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense has branded it a ‘Bridge to Nowhere.’” Read more.

Twin Cities Chase a Desire Named Streetcar
By Rochelle Olson, Star Tribune
From the article: “St. Paul is joining the Minneapolis quest for new streetcars by launching a yearlong $250,000 study to determine if and how streetcars would enhance the people-moving power of the Central Corridor light-rail line connecting the two downtowns.” Read more.

Agreement on Vikings Stadium near Metrodome Imminent
By: Kevin Duchschere, Mike Kaszuba and Jennifer Brooks, Star Tribune
From the article: “A deal to build a Minnesota Vikings stadium next to the Metrodome neared completion Thursday, as stadium planners worked late to put the finishing touches on an agreement among the state, the team and Minneapolis.” Read more.

Should Building Taller Be Much, Much Easier?
By Emily Badger, The Atlantic Cities
From the article: “Density is supposed to be the answer to a whole range of urban challenges, to how cities can become more prosperous, more environmentally sustainable, more livable and more productive. In a denser urban world, people will walk to work, clearing up traffic congestion. That time commuters spent in their cars they can instead spend with their families. Now they’re happier. And with all these happy people living in such close proximity to each other, dense communities can support more retail, more restaurants, more transit, more tax base, all of which serves to attract yet more people and businesses.” Read more.

Forget the Suburbs: Living in Beautiful, Well-Designed Cities Makes People Happy
By Ariel Schwartz, Fast Company
From the article: “Turns out, there’s a big link between the built urban environment and happiness. In general, respondents were happiest when their cities had easy access to public transportation, cultural activities, libraries, shops, and sports facilities.” Read more.

Riverfront Development Moving Forward

2012-02-14T09:35:00.000-06:00

Projects could begin being built as early as 2013, and the RiverFIRST planning and design phase could begin this year. That’s what the Park Board Planning Services staff will recommend on February 15th to be formally adopted by the board’s planning committee. After reviewing the RiverFIRST resolution and providing feedback, the Park Board Commissioners will vote on whether to adopt RiverFIRST on March 14th.

View the detailed proposal here (PDF).
Visit Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative website.

TLS/KVA from MRDI on Vimeo.

Week in Review: Articles of Interest, Feb. 3 to Feb. 10

2012-02-10T13:44:00.001-06:00

Vikings Stadium: a Regional Problem that Requires a RegionalSolution

By Steven Dornfeld, MinnPost

From the article: “If the Vikings stadium issue is notresolved in the current legislative session, it may be time for a freshapproach—a regional approach—to siting and funding this regional facility. Itmakes little sense to expect one city or county to pony up a third of the costof a sports facility that will benefit the entire metro area, as well as thestate as a whole.” Read more.

Sustainable Development Makes Housing Affordable

By Sarah Laskow, Good

From the article: “…it might be more expensive to live in acommunity where the grocery story is just down the block. But if living theremeans there’s no need to own a car, it might be the more affordable choice inthe end.” Read more.

Most Americans Want a Walkable Neighborhood, Not a Big House

By Nona Willis Aronowitz, Good

From the article: “The symbol of American success ofteninvolves having the biggest house possible, but our outsized fantasies seem tobe shifting.” Read more.

Have Americans Given Up on McMansions?

By Kaid Benfield, Switchboard, NRDC Blog

From the article: “After many years of dramaticallyincreasing home size in America - from an average of 983 square feet in the1950s up to 2300 square feet in the 2000s, despite declining household sizes—thetrend appears finally to be going in the other direction.” Read more.

The Met Council: Exercising Its Authority?

2012-02-09T11:29:00.001-06:00

In his Cityscape column Monday in MinnPost, Steve Dornfield suggests that the complicated twists and turns relating to the location of a new Vikings stadium could have been avoided if the Metropolitan Council had exercised its existing authority to consider and deal with projects of metropolitan significance. This isn’t the first time the question has been raised. In a Cityscape column in January 2011, Steve Berg suggested asserting metropolitan significance on the question of a new Vikings stadium in an interview he had with Susan Haigh, the then newly appointed Chair of the Council.

Recent Report

Dornfield hits the nail on the head when he states that the Met Council “has been bypassed, if not undermined, by governors and legislators of both parties over the last several decades on a number of important regional issues.” In effect, the Met Council is simply not trusted to use the special set of tools it has been given to direct the “orderly and economical development of the region.” (Minnesota Statutes Section 473.145.) Some of the reasons for this mistrust are explained in a recent report from Transit for Livable Communities and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy entitled “Planning to Succeed? An Assessment of Transportation and Land Use Decision-Making in the Twin Cities Region.”

Instead, the Met Council has been whipsawed between indifference and extreme micro-management. At one end, some governors with no interest in the region or its importance to Minnesota’s economy have seemingly given the Met Council a mandate to take no action that would cause trouble for the administration. At the other end, the legislature has inserted itself into issues of regional governance and pulled or pushed the Met Council in different and sometimes conflicting directions. The best example of the start-and-stop interference by the legislature is the tortuous history of planning for light rail in this region.

Beyond a certain point, the Met Council, as an institution, stopped acting as an advocate for the region and began simply to react when needed or pushed. This change is reflected in how the region has performed. In a recent comparison with its regional peers, the Met Council showed that this region’s population density in terms of its urbanized area is less than that of Houston. The irony, of course, is that Houston does not have conventional land use planning and regulation or the special set of regional authorities the Met Council holds. It is reasonable to consider what we have received for forty years of effort and investment in regional governance.

There are signs that this Met Council may be interested in reasserting its role and authorities in the region. The new members of the Met Council have certainly talked about wanting to move the region forward. Having missed an opportunity with the new Vikings stadium, the Met Council's next chance to begin such a revival will be the revision of the Met Council’s Regional Development Framework which sets the overarching goals for the Met Council and the foundation for the next round of comprehensive planning by communities in the region. The Met Council’s work will benefit from a sustainable communities grant from HUD which is based on the livability principles of the federal government’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

What do you think? What role should the Met Council play in the region? If you want to take part in the Met Council's critical discussion, plug into the Met Council’s Committee of the Whole which meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Follow the Committee of the Whole.

The region deserves more than just a slightly more efficient form of sprawl for its "orderly and economical development."

Check out the Housing and Transportation Affordability Index

2012-02-02T13:33:00.000-06:00

H+T Affordability Index: Minneapolis--St. Paul, MN--WI: Comparing Housing Costs - % Income to Housing and Transportation Costs - % Income

The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index is an innovative tool that measures the true affordability of housing based on its location.

© Copyright 2003-10Center for Neighborhood Technology
2125 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Tel: (773) 278-4800 · Fax: (773) 278-3840

Want Small Scale Wind Turbines in Your Community?

2012-01-31T14:58:00.000-06:00

Communities are looking at assimilating small-scale wind turbines into their land use regulations. (Check out our post from a few years ago--with pictures of creative wind turbine uses in small spaces.) A new reference from the American Planning Association contains some helpful information, including exploring the role of planning.

Planning for Wind Energy
Suzanne Rynne, AICP; Larry Flowers; Eric Lantz; Erica Heller, AICP
APA Planning Advisory Service
"Wind energy is sweeping the country. Want to plug into this powerful trend? Planning for Wind Energy gives you the tools to get started. It describes the benefits, debunks the myths, and details the process of incorporating wind energy into planning and zoning. Turn to this practical guide for putting wind power to work in your community."

Learn more.

Good News, Bad News

2012-01-26T10:49:00.000-06:00

Let’s start with the good news. Gov. Mark Dayton announced that the Metrodome is “the only workable site” for a new Vikings stadium. LandOf.org applauds this decision. The Metrodome site, as a centralized location, is what’s best for the region. It has the infrastructure including light rail and helps prevent sprawl. Read more about this news on the Star Tribune.

And now for the bad news. The St. Croix bridge legislation, which grants environmental clearances, passed the US Senate. This was not necessarily a surprise. It still needs to pass the House where Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison have brought a common sense in their opposition to the mega bridge. Read more about this news on the Star Tribune.

Week in Review 1/6-1/13/2012

2012-01-13T16:38:00.001-06:00

Congress Tells Americans: Commute by Car, Not Transit
By Steven Dornfeld, Minnpost

From the article: “The federal tax code is riddled with questionable provisions designed to encourage or reward certain kinds of behavior. And it only seems to get worse.” Read more.

St. Croix River Crossing Is an Albatross
Article, which appeared in the Star Tribune editorial section, is by Betty McCollum.

From the article: “The Klobuchar-Bachmann legislation, which I strongly oppose, specifically dictates the bridge's design, requiring MnDOT to build an exotic and enormous 'extradosed'-style bridge. By mandating the largest possible bridge, their legislation, if passed by Congress, would establish a precedent that essentially guts the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, putting some 200 protected rivers at risk.” Read more.

State Not Rushing to Act on Vikings Stadium
By Mike Kaszuba and Eric Roper, Star Tribune

From the article: “Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said the city's proposal was the ‘only plan that puts significant dollars on the table without raising new taxes.’” Read more.

Do Cities Need Universities to Survive?
By Nate Berg, The Atlantic Cities

From the article: “The so-called ‘town and gown’ relationship between cities and universities has become increasingly important in recent years. As universities contribute more and more to the local economy through research, reputation and building, they’re seen not only as educational and cultural institutions, but economic development tools. But how much should cities rely on universities?” Read more.

When Shops and Services Are within Walking Distance, We Walk More and Drive Less
By Kaid Benfield, Switchboard NRDC Blog

From the article: “New research from Southern California has found that residents of neighborhoods with a central core of shops and services—a pattern typically found in older, traditional communities—walk nearly three times more often than do residents of neighborhoods whose nearest shops and services lie along a major arterial roadway—a pattern typically found in newer suburban development.” Read more.

Eight Parking Spots for Every Car in the Country

2012-01-12T12:00:00.000-06:00

Some estimates say if there are 500 million parking spaces in the country, that would occupy about 3,590 square miles, or about the equivalent of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Other estimates say it could be as many as 2 billion parking spaces. Some cities are setting limits on parking, but most still have outdated zoning that requires abundant parking.

Check out these two articles:

“Paved, but Still Alive” by Michael Kimmelman, New York Times
Excerpt: “These rules about minimum parking spaces have driven up the costs of apartments for developers and residents, damaged the environment, diverted money that could have gone to mass transit and created a government-mandated cityscape that’s largely unused. We keep adding to the glut of parking lots.” Read more.

“Time to Develop on the Target Midtown Parking Lot” by Sam Newberg on Joe Urban blog
Includes a great photo of a parking lot on what’s considered the busiest parking day of the year. Read the post.

Our Future: Diversity

2012-01-09T14:45:00.001-06:00

Week in Review 12/30/2011-1/6/2012

2012-01-06T16:27:00.000-06:00

Is It Time to Get Rid of Those Pesky Skyways?
By Sam Newberg, Joe Urban blog
“Isn’t it about time to start removing our skyways?” Read more.

LRT Helping to Spur Redevelopment Efforts
By Steven Dornfeld, MinnPost
“Although it won't be completed for another two years, the Central Corridor light-rail transit (LRT) project appears to be helping spur redevelopment and revitalization efforts along the corridor.” Read more.

Map of the Day: Good News for Public Transportation
By Amanda Erickson, The Atlantic Cities
“If you need a little cheering up.” Read more.

'Pocket Neighborhoods' for Sustainable Suburbs
By Kaid Benfield, The Atlantic Cities
“…one can also have sustainably designed neighborhoods of single-family homes on moderately sized lots.” Read more.

America's Healthiest Metros
By Richard Florida, The Atlantic Cities
“Smoking and obesity comprise two of the most significant health problems confronting American citizens and other advanced industrial nations today.” Read more.

Editorial: Refresh the Reality, Image of Downtown
Star Tribune
“The solution lies less with policing than with what city planners call placemaking. The key is to crowd out objectionable manners by putting more people, and greater varieties of people, on the street.” Read more.

Editorial: Rental Caps Go Too Far, Could Backfire
Star Tribune
“In an already difficult housing market, capping rentals could also produce unintended consequences such as more vacant buildings and even fewer home sales.” Read more.

Recommended: Upcoming Panel Discussion

2012-01-04T16:07:00.000-06:00

Foreclosures. Rail corridors. Changing demographics. What do these things mean to the future of our region?

That’s what you’re invited to dig into at the upcoming panel discussion “Neighborhoods and Housing Markets.” It is free of charge (you’re invited) and hosted by The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Department and Twin Cities LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation).

The event on Monday, January 23 will include speakers, a national panel (live broadcast) and regional panel.

Regional panel includes:

Cathy Capone Bennett, Housing Initiative Director, Urban Land Institute
Melvin Carter, Council Member, Saint Paul City Council
Kathy Wetzel-Mastel, Executive Director, PRG
Moderator: Susan Haigh, Chair, Metropolitan Council

Get involved in the discussion. Learn more about this event and register early.

The Best of 2011 Smart Growth Books

2011-12-29T14:38:00.000-06:00

It’s the time of year when there is a “best of” list for nearly everything—including smart growth books. Check out these titles and get reading!

The Best CityReads of 2011 from The Atlantic Cities
By Nate Berg
Read it here. >

Top 10 Books from Planetizen
Authors: David Zeetser, George Haugh, Josh Stephens, Kayla Gordon, Kristopher Fortin, Michael Dudley, Mike Lydon and Tim Halbur
Read it here. >

Best Books of 2011 from American Society of Landscape Architects, The Dirt Blog
Read it here. >

Two of these lists include the book Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier by Edward L. Glaeser. Check out this video of when he was on The Daily Show.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Which US Metros Can Most Afford the Gifts This Holiday?

2011-12-22T15:19:00.000-06:00

Minnesota cities pop up twice on this list, which only includes five cities that aren't on either coast. Minneapolis-St. Paul is one and Rochester is the other. Check it out on The Atlantic: The US Metros That Can Most Afford to Buy Gifts This Year.

Happy holidays!

A City’s Competitiveness

2011-12-08T12:03:00.001-06:00

The Arizona Republic has an indicators-research effort it rolled out recently. It looks at how well Phoenix is performing in the context of nine other cities it must reasonably presume are its regional competition (look it over here). The Denver Post picked up on the Republic's numbers and did a piece on how it is doing in terms of regional competition.

The crazy thing is, the Twin Cities are not one of the regions viewed by Phoenix and (presumably) Denver as their competition.

That raises the question: does the perception of us matter?

Yes. To compete globally we need to be seen as, well, competitors.

According to the recent Star Tribune article about Minnesota tourism, “The North Star State is boring. Unsophisticated. Downright old-fashioned. And that assessment comes from residents in neighboring Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska. In places farther away such as Dallas, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, the perception gets even worse.” That was according to a survey.

All of this raises another question: are we falling behind?

What do you think?

Much Ado about Suburbs

2011-12-02T16:58:00.001-06:00

Last week a few Op-Ed articles came out about suburbs with very different points of view. Each was pitted against the other in our very own local papers, the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune.

The Death of the Fringe Suburb
By Christopher Leinberger
The New York Times (reprinted in Pioneer Press)

To Rethink Sprawl, Start with Offices
By Louise A. Mozingo
The New York Times

VS.

And Joel Kotkin (remember him from our Heavyweight Bout?) responded to The New York Times articles in his article Is Suburbia Doomed? Not So Fast in New Geography.

Also, In Defense of Suburbs by Tom Martinson was published in the Star Tribune.

What do you think?

Week in Review 11/25-12/2/11

2011-12-02T15:53:00.001-06:00

LOCAL

How Much Have University Avenue Businesses Been Hurt by Light Rail Construction?
By Steven Dornfeld, MinnPost.com
From the article: “Last week, a group representing businesses along University Avenue were back in federal court, complaining that the financial assistance being provided to help them during light rail construction has been inadequate.” Read more.

Vikings to Help Minneapolis Pick Stadium Site
By Eric Roper, Star Tribune
From the article: “Rybak said earlier in the day that the Vikings' reluctance to meet was the only factor preventing the city from winnowing its list of stadium sites.” Read more.

Critics: St. Croix Bridge a Cash Hog
By Kevin Giles, Star Tribune
From the article: “$360 million for the span would be better spent on state projects elsewhere that would benefit more people, legislators say.” Read more.

BEYOND

America the Stuck
By Richard Florida, The Atlantic
From the article: “The share of Americans moving hit a new low this past year…” Read more.

How Americans Really React to High Gas Prices
By Eric Jaffe, The Atlantic
From the article: “Americans love to gripe about high gas prices, but they actually pay some of the lowest fuel costs in the world.” Read more.

Our Identity

2011-11-22T09:20:00.001-06:00

Minneapolis? St. Paul? Twin Cities?

Or Minnesota?

In the Star Tribune article “Whatever Happened to the Twin Cities?” Steve Berg discusses the gradual fading away of the branding around Twin Cities.

In other words, how we think of ourselves—and how others think of us—has shifted from “Minneapolis” to “Minnesota.”

Minneapolis (or Twin Cities) ideally would conjure images of a high-powered city with big ideas. A place that is attractive to young professionals and the businesses who want to attract these young professionals.

Minnesota conjures up ideas of lakes and forest…nature.

Neither is bad—of course both have their place.

But we need to compete globally. States don’t do that. As Berg pointed out in the article, Chicago would never switch its brand to Illinois.

Read more on this in Steve Berg’s article. >>

Week in Review 11/12-11/18/11

2011-11-18T13:47:00.000-06:00

LOCAL UPDATE

Met Council Looks to 2040 Amid Slowing Population and Job Growth

By Steven Dornfeld, MinnPost

From the article: “Clearly, Haigh said recently, ‘our plans must shift from preparation for robust population growth’ to policy objectives that will ‘positively impact our regional economy and quality of life.’” Read more.

Paying for Past Choices: Cities Struggle with Infrastructure
By Jennifer Vogel, Minnesota Public Radio
From the article: "Many cities are stuck with unfinished housing projects and empty industrial parks and infrastructure expansions that once looked promising but now feel burdensome. Some communities have sought to re-envision the projects through new partnerships and incentives." Read more.

Oak Park Heights Mayor Opposes St. Croix Bridge through His City
By Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio
From the article: “‘This is a very unjust burden to the city of Oak Park Heights considering this is a regional project,’ he said. ‘It solves a problem in one community and creates a big problem in another.’” Read more.

St. Croix Bridge Bill Has Minnesota Congressional Members at Loggerheads
By Brett Neely, Minnesota Public Radio
From the article: “McCollum, who has followed this issue since her days in the Minnesota Legislature, supports a new bridge but argues that the one being planned is an overly large and expensive boondoggle.” Read more.

BEYOND

Building a Better Bus Route, with No Defined Stops

By Eric Jaffe, The Atlantic

From the article: “…the challenge of providing reliable service to small cities or sprawling suburbs where residential density and ridership demand are very low.” Read more.

By the Numbers: The Myth of ‘Job-Killing’ Regulations
By Sue Sturgis, Grist
From the article:
“3—Number of weeks straight last month that Republicans used their weekly radio address to attack government regulations for killing jobs

“0.3—Percent of people who lost their jobs in 2010 because of government regulation

“25—Percent who lost their jobs because of a drop in business demand”

Time for a Sustainable Solution

2011-11-16T10:51:00.005-06:00

By Jim Erkel

Secretary Ray LaHood has brought a new direction to the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is reflected in the Partnership for Sustainable Communities between the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Department. The Secretary’s commitment to sustainability will be seriously tested this week when he meets with the congressional delegations of Minnesota and Wisconsin to discuss the legislation being pushed by Rep. Michele Bachmann and Sen. Amy Klobuchar to exempt a $690 million, blufftop-to-blufftop, freeway-style bridge on the St. Croix River proposed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) from the protections of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

In the Partnership, USDOT committed itself to helping communities improve access to affordable housing, increase transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment. This commitment is laid out in six livability principles—providing more choices for transportation, promoting affordable housing, enhancing economic competitiveness, supporting existing communities, coordinating and leveraging federal investments, and valuing communities and neighborhoods. MNDOT’s proposed bridge fails each of the Partnership’s principles.

Read more here.

Week in Review 11/5–11/11/11

2011-11-11T16:28:00.000-06:00

Feds Say They'll Mediate Deal for St. Croix Bridge
By Jeremy Herb, Star Tribune
From the article: “Two federal Cabinet secretaries will meet soon with the Minnesota and Wisconsin congressional delegations to hammer out differences over an embattled $690 million proposal for a new St. Croix River bridge.” Read more.

State Legislators Oppose New St. Croix River Bridge
By Mary Divine, Pioneer Press
From the article: “Thirty state legislators from Minnesota and Wisconsin sent a letter Tuesday to their congressional delegations urging them to vote against measures that would pave the way for a new St. Croix River bridge. Legislators—23 from Minnesota, seven from Wisconsin—said they were ‘united in our concerns that the current design of the bridge is far too expensive, particularly in light of much more cost-effective alternatives,’ according to the letter.” Read more.

Will LRT Line Bring Downtown Development to St. Paul?
By Steven Dornfeld, MinnPost
From the article: “Last week, St. Paul city officials hailed the restoration of the skyway link over Fifth Street between the University Club and the Alliance Bank Building in the downtown area.
What remains to be seen is whether they will have a chance to celebrate a ‘signature’ development on the largely vacant block, adjacent to the light-rail transit (LRT) line being constructed there.” Read more.

Fighting Congestion in Minneapolis on a Tight Budget
By Eric Jaffe, The Atlantic
From the article: “In early October a power outage in Minneapolis threw the city's central traffic-signal control system into disarray. Lights at various intersections lost much of their coordination, with some lights quickly changing color, leading to intense frustration among drivers and not a few complaints. The confusion underscored the general antiquity of the city’s traffic control system, which has been updated, but never overhauled, since it was first installed back in 1974.” Read more. Also read the follow up article here.

Back to the City?
By Aaron M. Renn, New Geography
From the article: “Overall city population figures were disappointing. And the housing crash and the Great Recession have clearly wreaked havoc with migration patterns on a national level.” Read more.

Bicycling Expert Says Minnesota in a Good Spot to Reap Rewards
By Robb Murray, The Free Press
From the article: “Minnesota’s already-solid standing as a national leader in bicycle tourism will serve itself well in what one industry expert says will be a continued surge in the sport’s popularity.” Read more.

Incredible Shrinking Farmland
By Claire Thompson, Grist
From the article: “Between 1982 and 2007, over 41 million acres of rural land in the United States were developed. That's 41 million acres of potentially productive agricultural land gone forever—because once farmland is ripped up, paved over, and developed, you can never get it back, not in the same form.” Read more.

The True Cost of Commuting

2011-11-07T14:08:00.000-06:00

(Click image to enlarge)

Via: Streamline Refinance

$8 Million Proves Problematic for St. Croix Mega Bridge

2011-11-07T12:27:00.000-06:00

There is still hope to avert the sprawl-inducing mega bridge crossing the St. Croix thanks to an $8 million earmark.

This $8 million of the $690 million cost of the bridge was discovered when the Congressional Budget Office noted that the $8 million would be direct federal spending. US Rep. Michelle Bachmann contends that it will be offset by cuts made elsewhere. Former US Rep. Oberstar said those offsets will be difficult to find.

Meanwhile, Bachmann is running for president on a platform that scorns earmarks.

As quoted in the Star Tribune US Rep. Keith Ellison said, “A smaller bridge ... would be much more careful use of the public dollar.”

We at LandOf.org second that. We also want to point out the economic impact of the bridge—sending more development across the border to Wisconsin. Ellison and US Rep. Betty McCollum recognize this isn’t the sensible bridge we ought to have, and they are working to halt this “exotic” bridge design.

Again, this isn’t a choice between no bridge and a massive bridge. There is a better choice: a low and slow bridge.

Read more about this option here.

Learn more about the Sensible Bridge Coalition here.

Read today’s article in the Star Tribune, “St. Croix Bridge Has $8 Million Obstacle” by Jeremy Herb and Kevin Giles.

Week in Review 10/28–11/4/11

2011-11-04T15:39:00.001-05:00

In Minneapolis, a New Era for Neighborhoods
By Steve Brandt, Star Tribune
From the article: "For 20 years, a $300 million civic experiment won international plaudits for reshaping Minneapolis from the neighborhoods up. Now the city is preparing for life after the Neighborhood Revitalization Program." Read more.

More Bikes, Healthier Cities
Josephine Marcotty, Star Tribune
From the article: "If half of all short trips during the summer months were done on two wheels instead of four, the Twin Cities would prevent nearly 300 deaths each year and save $57 million in medical costs, according to a study on biking and air pollution published Wednesday." Read more.

Urban Planning in the iPhone Age
By Emily Badger, The Atlantic
From the article: "Apps, in other words, offer potential solutions for two of the trickiest parts of the urban planner's job: sharing data and engaging citizens." Read more.

The Unbearable Cost of Sprawl
Michael Mehaffy and Galina Tachieva, The Atlantic
From the article: "It’s no secret that America’s sprawling, car-dependent exurbs were Ground Zero for the economic meltdown. These 'drive ‘til you qualify' communities were built on risky decisions and over-leveraged debt—buyers betting that the price of gasoline for commuting wouldn't go up too much, or that they’d be able to sell their pricey McMansions before their artificially low mortgages reset." Read more.