If this website is a sidewalk, Streets.mn is a city

[We're working on the logo.]

More is different. Easily the best thing about having this website is how its helped me meet so many smart, interesting, and engaged people in the Twin Cities urbanism and arts communities. For example, a while back I was included in a discussion about collaborating on a new website that would aggregate, collect, and intersect a bunch of the folks writing and working about the Twin Cities. The idea was to start something similar to Greater Greater Washington or StreetsBlog, something larger than the perspective of a single wonky walker.

Thanks to the hard working folks at Community Design Group, we were able to use the foundation and template of Twin Cities Streets for People to kick start a new site, branded Streets.mn. (By the way, ".mn" stands for Mongolia.)

Well, after many hours of work and a few long meetings, Streets.mn has officially launched in 2012. I'm helping out with it, contributing some of my less personal, more professional ideas, and helping start discussions about transportation, land use, architecture and urbanism. The great thing is that we'll have a diversity of perspectives, (kinda sorta, seeing as well all agree about the importance of strong, good cities,) which means that it'll be a place for debate. See for example the recent back and forth on the pros and cons of skyways.

Not only is Streets.mn a good idea, but the process has helped me to realize how much amazing writing is going on in the Twin Cities. I am not exaggerating when I say that the collection of writers contributing to Streets.mn is a staggering pool of talent. Unlike Groucho, I feel lucky to be included in such a group.