Twin City Street Musicians #24

 

[Downtown skyways, Minneapolis.]

[New York City, NY.]

[Downtown, St. Paul.]

[Rochester.]

[Downtown, St. Paul.]

[University Avenue, St. Paul.]

[Downtown, Minneapolis.]

[Appleton, WI.]

[Downtown, St. Paul.]

On TPT Almanac to talk about Saint Paul's New Downtown Plan

 Well, I can check this one off my bucket list! I went on Almanac, Minnesota's long-running flagship local politics show, last Friday to talk about downtown Saint Paul. I normally avoid doing TV because I hate it, but I'll aways make an exception for Eric Eskola and Cathy Wurzer. 

It's very very quick, like all television, but I hope you enjoy it. I haven't watched it myself, but apparently I didn't sound like a moron. You'll notice that I didn't take the bait on the leading question about skyways. Live TV is too short to explain that shit.

[Watch all five minutes of glory here.]

Twin City Neon #31

 

[Duluth.]

[University Avenue, St. Paul.]

[Location forgotten.]

[Somewhere in WI?]

[Southeast, Minneapolis.]

[Hudson, WI.]

[Uptown, Minneapolis.]

[Location forgotten.]

[Skyways, Minneapolis.]

Notable Quotes #26: Doug Gordon calls the Minneapolis Skyways "Car Infrastructure"

 

In a recent episode of the War on Cars podcast, hosts Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon mentioned the Minneapolis skyway system as an example of car infrastructure. They were talking about the incredibly stupid Las Vegas convention center tunnel project, and someone asked what they would think about the tunnel project if it was intended for bicycles rather than cars.

Here's the relevant discussion:

Sarah: I gotta say, I would not want to see this project regardless of what was moving through it. It if it were for bikes and peds, it’s so over-engineered. Bikes and peds can move along the surface of the planet quite easily. If  it’s there, in the Las Vegas area, maybe it’s a question of if it’s too hot? Maybe there could be shade structures, I don’t know. But the idea that you need to bore a tunnel through the earth for people to walk across a 2 mile expanse I do not support this idea.

Doug: I tend to think that things like tunnels for bikes, or like the skyways in Minneapolis, even though they’re billed as infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians, ultimately they’re just another form of car infrastructure. They just keep the pedestrians away from the roads. They done’t have a right to be there, so let’s build this really expensive pedestrian bridge for them. For example, I would watch something like that and just say, “fix the streets.” 

How hard can this be? Why are we spending $50M digging a tunnel when I have to take a ramp down there and build this narrow thing, when I probably could just take a straight shot across on the nearest roadway. But Vegas like so many sunbelt cities is just car sewers everywhere. 

I think this is right on. Skyways were pitched and built as car infrastructure in the 1950s, and they remain that way today, forming an excuse for downtown Minneapolis leaders to continue to ignore the street.

Talking about Minneapolis Skyways for 99 Percent Invisible

[Minneapolis alley skyway.]

99 Percent Invisible has long been one of my favorite podcasts, and its founder and host, Roman Mars, even shares my love of city flags.  (Get yours today!) 

Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled when the wonderful Katie Thornton, who crafted the excellent radio documentaries on the South Minneapolis preemie hospital and women in bars (among other work), reached out to discuss Minneapolis skyways for the show. We blabbed about it for hours during the pandemic, recording in my closet buried in sound-muffling blankets, and she somehow managed to turn all that audio into a very compelling story about architecture, segregation, and urban life in downtown Minneapolis. I remain wowed with her skill at editing and storytelling. 

So check it out! Hear Roman Mars say my name way too many times, including the best quip: "the lonely life of Bill Lindeke." 

(BRB, turn that into my ringtone.)

I've written about skyways more times than I can count, given a half-dozen second-story tours, and realize by now that it's a very difficult story to tell. Check these out if you want to learn more:

• Happy 50th Birthday to the Minneapolis Skyway
• Four Skyway Improvements
• Stuck with the Skyways
• Minneapolis, St Paul Separating on Skyways
• Climate as Proxy for Capital in the Minneapolis Skyway System
• Minnpost: Nicollet Mall: As in the 80s, redo saw a need for skyway-street connection...
• Minnpost: Skyway arrest video leads to talk about race...
• Minnpost: St. Paul's skyway issues are ongoing and unsolved 

Thanks so much to Katie for this amazing thing! 

Oh my. I think, I'm going to listen to it again... 

[Here's the link.]

PS. I've got the blog on hold these days, as the pandemic has gutted my usual urban flâneurie. C'est dommage. I'll get back to it someday soon, when the sidewalks fill once more with action and coffee shops come back to life.

Reading the Highland Villager #255

[Alpha and Omega Highland Villager.]

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also: Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager.]


Headline: Our readers' support is more vital than it's ever been; with continued assistance we hope latest challenges will only make us stronger
Author: Michael Mischke

Short short version: The owner of the Villager is asking people for money. Some people are giving him some. They raised  $17K over the last few weeks, but it's not enough because advertising has disappeared. They have a PPP loan. Key passages from the article: "mass communication [!] ... [has] wreaked havoc with the business model.... $17,500 in donations will cover the cost of printing, delivery and compensation of our freelancers -- but only for a single edition of this newspaper." [Wow.] The key passage: "The Villager is quickly pivoting to greatly enhance the value of our website by distributing our editorial content online. We envision our online content to be further enhanced with an archive of past editions and a separate gallery of historical photos and accompanying historical feature stories. ... online content will be available to readers by paid subscription only.  It's our intention to continue to distribute a printed product should our financial resources allow it, but in the current depleted advertising environment those resources will have to come largely from our readers." [So you'll have to pay to read the editorials online -- by far the worst part of the paper -- and as long as people keep dropping off $17K a month at the offices on Snelling Avenue, they'll keep printing it. First, that's a lot of money and its clearly unsustainable. Second, who is the money going to support? This edition might be the last of the Highland Villager folks, which is something I've been worried about / expecting for years anyway. Jane McClure, who is solely responsible for 90% of the value the Villager provides, should just have a Patreon and a blog. She might even make more money without all the overhead. I'd sign up, and would finally stop doing this re-cap.]


Headline: Traffic study offers clearer picture of challenges posed by 3-lane redesign of Ayd Mill Road; Public comment sought on $7.5 million project [Whoever does the typefaces for the Villager layout must be furloughed or something because the headline typefaces are all over the place in this issue.]
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking. [Also, there is no traffic and parking any more.]  There are two online videos and some people have watched them. Events held at Allianz Field will not affect the road very much, if at all. [Also, all events have been cancelled. There is no traffic any more. In fact, bicycling is the only thing that exists now.]


Headline: Hope for a new spirit of giving; Breakfast Bar steps up with free meals for needy in a city ravaged by a virus
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A new restaurant is giving food away.


Headline: Ryan Cos. wins some, loses some Ford site plan changes
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The Planning Commission met online to consider changes to the Ford site plan proposed by the developer. Some were accepted, others weren't. The ones that were rejected included getting rid of a shared street, and reducing commercial requirements on the corners of the site.


Headline: Advisory committee plans for parks and open spaces on Ford site
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There is group of people trying to figure out where the parks should go at the old Ford factory and what they should look like. One is named John Mountain [which is an excellent name for a parks commissioner]. There will be about 10 acres.


Headline: City closes playgrounds, reduces skyway hours, reins in spending
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The skate parks are locked, and there are signs by the playgrounds telling people not to use them. Skyways are closed sometimes too. Public Works has been asked to get rid of beg buttons by concerned people, but has not done so because it is focusing on "more pressing maintenance needs." 


Headline: Council OKs zoning change for new Rondo museum and gallery
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A group can renovate an old church into a museum near old Rondo Avenue, which was destroyed to build the freeway displacing a large part of the city's African-American community. [Very cool.] They have a grant from the realtors association. [Fitting. Realtors have a a lot to answer for, historically speaking.] They will not have to build any parking for the museum.


Headline: UPDC supports low-income units for 6-story Marshall Avenue flats
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A neighborhood group thinks a new 97-unit apartment building is fine, as long as some units are affordable at 30% AMI.


Headline: Emergency shelter allowed for homeless with virus symptoms
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A historic nurses dorm is being opened up for homeless people with COVID-19. [Yikes. I toured the shelter a few months ago. Very vulnerable population in very close proximity. The people that work at shelters are underpaid and so critical, but they seem also extremely exposed. Maybe we'll start funding anti-poverty and affordable housing programs in this country now?]


Headline: Commission moves hearing on multifamily zoning regs to May 1
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version:There will be a public hearing on proposed changes to the RM zoning code, which is apartment buildings that are not in the T traditional neighborhood category. The code dates to the 1970s, and will allow more density in more subtle ways than the T zoning does. Only written comments will be taken.


Headline: City agrees to $120K settlement for Midway Pro Bowl relocation
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: In a court settlement, the city is paying $120K to the bowling alley that was displaced for the soccer stadium They did not get properly paid for the "relocation" and took the city to court over it. [See also my story on the closing of the alley. Ironically, with proper ventilation, it seems to me possible to bowl while maintaining social distance, as opposed to soccer.] 


Headline: Union Gospel holds online gala with celebrity guests April 20-24
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A christian rock guy and Paul Douglas will be online. [You can send money to Union Gospel Mission here.]


Headline: Commission grants permit, variances for 5-story building at University-Hampden
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A one-story office building next to the McDonalds is being torn down and replaced with a five-story apartment building. It will have 147 apartments and 90 parking spaces.Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking.


Headline: Businesses make most of a market rocked by stay-at-home; Customer service shits to the Internet or curb for those firms that can find a way to stay open
Author: Roger Barr

Short short version: Lots of businesses are struggling to stay somewhat open.


Headline: STA's idled 3D printers used to make face shields for health care workers
Author: Dave Wright

Short short version: A private school is printing plastic face shields.


Headline: St. Paul shuts down playgrounds, sports courts as result of pandemic
Author: Bill Wagner

Short short version: Basically the same story as above only with a different typeface and author.


Headline: Flooding from spring thaw closes much of Fort Snelling State Park 
Author: ???

Short short version: The river is high right now.

Notable Quotes #20: Bob Dylan on Skyways, c. 1964

[Bob Dylan looks down on a parking lot in downtown Minneapolis.]

Minnesota native and Minneapolis musician, Bob Dylan, mentions skyways in his classic song  "Ballad in Plain D" from 1964's Another Side of Bob Dylan.

Ah, my friends from the prison, they ask unto me, 

"How good, how good does it feel to be free?" 

And I answer them most mysteriously, 

"Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?"

I think he captures their essence perfectly.

Join me for the Goethe in the Skyway Symposium on Saturday

So, it's a little known fact that for the past calendar year, a group of artists sponsored by the German government have been ensconced in the Minneapolis skyway system creating critical reactions to the space of the Minneapolis second-floor downtown.

Yes, it's true: it's Goethe in the Skyways, the least likely Minnesota cultural mashup since it was revealed that Sisqo lives in Maple Grove.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to be participating in this effort. I'm contributing an essay on the Minneapolis skyway system as part of a publication that the Goethe team is putting out, and I'm also going to be part of a symposium this Saturday, September 28th.

It's titled Passages. Here's the didactics:

Passages: a symposium including film screenings, performances, panel discussions, and many thought-bending lectures in the iconic Minneapolis Skyway System  

–with Jennifer Newsom/Dream the Combine, Elsa Dorlin, Interesting Tactics, Cameron Gainer, Brandon Hundt, Bill Lindeke, Alexandra Midal, Andy Delany/OOIEE, Sarah Petersen, Emilie Pitoiset, Daniel Shinbaum, Emily Stover, Sandra Teitge, Susana Vargas Cervantes, and Ramaya Tegegne. 

Europe-based feminist art and culture magazine Petunia is organizing Passages, a weekend symposium of performances, screenings, readings, and discussions at co. (company projects)/The Third Rail and at the Goethe Pop Up Minneapolis Goethe in the Skyways in the city’s iconic skyway system. 

Passages, of course, refers to the skyways as physical passageways. It also, in this case, refers to passing the baton in a relay race. This handoff, or passage, is an apt metaphor for several of the contributing spaces, organizers, and magazines who are participating in the symposium and are themselves transitioning to new manifestations, handing over their own legacy. Finally, Passages refers to a book written by Walter Benjamin dedicated to the famous 19th-century urban Parisian arcades, one of the direct forerunners of Minneapolis’s skyways. Benjamin used those urban features as a pretext to discuss other subjects, just as this symposium will use the skyways to think about legacy, traces, private and public spaces, and more. 

Coinciding with the conclusion of both Goethe Pop Up Minneapolis Goethe in the Skyways and the relocation of co. (company projects), the aim of the two-day symposium is to invite critical feedback while reflecting on the notions of transition, transmission, commitment to the local, as well as reflecting on this peculiar urban space/architectural environment: the Minneapolis Skyway System. 

It's open to anyone. I'll be speaking at 2:30!

@ GOETHE IN THE SKYWAYSCity Center, Skyway Level40 South 7th Street, Suite 208Minneapolis, MN 55402 

2 pm Introduction to the day  

2.15 pm Experiences from Goethe in the Skyways. Shifting perspectives with Sarah Petersen, Sandra Teitge, Daniel Shinbaum. 

2.30 pm Lecture by Bill Lindeke. Skyways, an history. 

3 pm Podium discussion Perspective on the Skyways with Andy Delany /OOIEE, Jennifer Newsom/Dream the combine, Lisa Middag, Brandon Hundt, Mod. Valerie Chartrain  

4.30 pm Lecture by Emily Stover. Tender City: feminist spatial practices in urban commons. 

5.00 pm Guided tour by Interesting Tactics. Who are the future Skyways for? 

5.30 pm Performance by Emilie Pitoiset. It took the night to believe 

7 pm Farewell and conclusion by Valerie Chartrain at Goethe in the Skyways

I hope to see you there. This is the most interesting thing to happen in the Minneapolis skyway system since they shut them down to create a mini golf course.

Notable Quotes #19: Fred Kent on Minneapolis Skyways, c. 1986

Skywalks should be severely limited, and if I had my way, I'd tear them down.

I can't believe how internalized this city had gotten. You want to reinforce Nicollet as a main street, but if you put in more skyways, no one's going to be on Nicollet.

I'd feel like an undesirable waiting for a bus in your city. I don't think there's one piece of furniture on the Nicollet Mall that should remain, and there's not a building on the Nicollet Mall that does not need to be redone.

Your buildings are not related to the street; they're monuments to the architects who built them.

You have one popcorn stand; that's sort of your token vendor. Any how about newsstands instead of those crazy news boxes?

The city is void of interests for people to come downtown, except as a place to work .... It's a business community, not a family place.

[Fred Kent is an urban designer and public space designer who visited downtown Minneapolis in 1986 to provide feedback on the downtown streetscape. Here are the highlights from his visit, where he told downtown leaders what he really thought.]

Reading the Highland Villager #233

[Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also: Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager.]


Headline: Council approves Ryan changes to Ford site plan
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The developer asked the city to change the zoning at the former truck factory in Highland, including allowing single-family [mansion] homes, more parking, and changing the street network. They did. [See my previous comments on some of this.]


Headline: Stadium traffic plan passes first test; MN United's home opener posed few problems, but locals are pursuing permits fore residential only parking
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: There was a soccer game at the new stadium. Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking.


Headline: The Pitch's six stories OK'd for N. Snelling; Mixed-use apartment building gets permit for 2 drive-thru lanes
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version:  A former one-story bank with a large drive thru will become a six-story building with a small drive-thru. There were some variances and a conditional use permit needed.


Headline: Plans revealed for vacant Lex-Ham parcel; six-story building eyed near Lexington-University
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version:
A vacant lot by Lexington and University might become a six-story mixed use building with an "undetermined amount of structured parking." Neighbors are concerned about traffic and bike connections.

Headline: City Council approves $3.5 million resurfacing of Ayd Mill Road
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city will spend a lot of money to re-pave an odd city-owned urban freeway. Article includes some history of the street. [See my extremely long take on this at streets.mn.]


Headline: St. Paul takes closer look at assessments for street work Summit Hill residents join those protesting high bills
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Saint Paul now charges people a lot more money for repaving projects, sometimes up to $8000 per property owner. This was a recent change. Article describes the how pavements work and includes some history of department policy. Quote from homeowner: "we're not responsible for 50% of the traffic, we all should share the costs of thoroughfares."  Another says: "exorbitant and extremely unfair." [If you cannot connect the dots between this story and the preceding story here, well... it's all part of the same budget.] 


Headline: City seeks new powers in imposing fines; opponents of charter changes ask council to consider ramifications
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: The city sill change the charter to allow itself more power to use fines and fees for things like code violations, for example for people who do not pay their trash bill, though as yet these fines remain unclear.


Headline: Civilian board reviews police misconduct; 77 allegations in 2018 resulted in disciplining of 22 police officers
Author: Kevin Driscoll

Short short version: The commission that reviews police problems reviewed those problems and found a few, 19, to forward to the Chief for action.


Headline: Local projects wishing on Neighborhood STAR grants, loans; Expo School parents again seek funds for playground
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: Organizations like centers, art groups, schools, and non-profits are competing for city money for stuff. Article includes list of these potential grants.


Headline: HDC election results in huge turnover of board members
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A neighborhood group had an election. [The city should require official neighborhood groups to at least report whether or not they represent the community viz. key demographics, and encourage in strong terms that these groups work hard to do so. A good idea would be having rental / POC / gender balance requirements, at the very least.]


Headline: St. Paul allows liquor sales closer to churches, schools
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: You can sell liquor close to a religious institution now, or close to a school if you are downtown. [Coming soon: Church of Scientology: the night club.] There was a charter school that got mad about a new bar downtown.


Headline: Storefronts purchased for new Lunds & Byerleys on Grand Ave.
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A company that sells food has bought a building on Grand Avenue and wants to build a new building there. Neighbors are concerned about traffic and parking.


Headline: Plan Fitness to join Aldi as new tenants at Sibley Plaza
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A strip mall that was mostly empty will have a fitness place and a grocery. [This is the strip mall that the city did NOT rezone because the owner asked them not to, because he promised he would develop the parking lot into housing.] 


Headline: Midway Marketplace is sold to Kraus-Anderson for $31M
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A strip mall was sold to a developer on University Avenue. The Herberger's is closed now.


Headline: Development of Gateway, riverfront properties are moving ahead in St. Paul
Author: Jane McClure

Short short version: A city-owned parking lot is being sold to a developer might become and might become a hotel and apartments with mixed-use retail. [As long as there are no skyways!] There will be parking. Also the county-owned vacant land by the river might become apartments, hotel offices, and commercial space, and a 1,500 space parking ramp. [That is a large parking ramp. See also: the city's Downtown Parking study which shows there are plenty of under-used existing parking ramps downtown, and also the city's request for $50M in state money for a completely different massive parking ramp a few blocks down the street from here.]

Join Me for a Walking Tour of the Minneapolis Skyway System, Saturday March 9

I am proud to announce that I'm leading another Downtown Minneapolis Skyway tour with the Hennepin History Museum. It'll be Saturday, March 9th. This is a great tour, and I lead it in proper passive/aggressive love/hate Minnesota fashion.

The last one was back in 2016, so if you missed it, now's your chance for a repeat. Here's my write-up of it from then. In the skyways, not much has changed. The` Government Center skyway is missing right now, and there are some new skyways by the Vikings Stadium / Downtown East / East Town area that we might or might not get to, depending on the enthusiasm and vim of the group.

Skyway history is something of an obsession of mine, and we'll be walking around downtown through all the different types of skyway environments, everything from parking ramps to retrofit corridors to parking ramps to all kinds of atria.
What: Downtown Minneapolis Skyway Tour with the Hennepin History MuseumWhen: April 16th at 1pm (tour will last approximately 90 minutes)Where: Meet at the IDS Center, prepare for a roughly 2 mile indoor/outdoor walkWho: Space is limitedHow much: $12 members / $15 non-members

Some of the things we'll be seeing include:

• The place where the idea was hatched (c. 1956)

• The site of the first skyway (c. 1962)

• The oldest existing skyway (c. 1963)

• The longest skyway (c. 1970s?)

• The skyway through the jail (will research)

• The most beautiful skyway (c. 1988, arguably)

Get your tickets today. Space is limited. I hope to see you there!

The Complete Complex Relationship between Senator Klobuchar and the Minneapolis Skyway

[Thanks to Dylan for digging this up.]

Minnesota's Senior Senator, Amy Klobuchar, was on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert the other night to plug the upcoming election.

On air, the very same seat where Governor Jesse Ventura once impugned the integrity of the Saint Paul street grid, Senator Klobuchar, who once publicly poked fun at my article about TVs in Minneapolis bars, admitted to having a complex historical connection with the Minneapolis skyway system.

Here is the complete transcript, along with the historical documentation and video evidence..

Stephen Colbert: Let's check your Minnesota cred. Have you ever been immortalized in butter at the MN state fair? 

Senator Klobuchar: That is like your Mount Rushmore. For our audience here. What we have at the state fair is a butter carver who sits in her down coat in a revolving refrigerator and carves princess kay of the mile way and her 10 princesses out of butter and does their butter bust, which is of course their heads, out of 90  loud blocks of butter.  

Every day she does a new one with a tiara and that is the biggest thing in our state fair and really in our state. 

But I have not been in there. 

Colbert: I will repeat the question senator. Have you ever been carved out of butter at the Minnesota state fair. 

Klobuchar: Oh very clear I don't want to evade your question. No, because only Princess Kay can. And I've only been Miss Skyway of March of 1988. And so that would not allow.. 

Colbert: You were Miss Skyway? 

Klobuchar: I was 

Colbert: You buried the lede. What is Miss Skyway? 

Klobuchar: That is if you work in DT Minneapolis, as I did in the past, in the private sector, and every month they would pick someone who worked in the skyway to be Miss Skyway. Then you got your picture in the Skyway News. The skyways of course are these glass enclosed above ground tunnels that connect our buildings. 

Colbert:  Because if you go outside in the winter, you will die. 

Klobuchar: That's right. They're like a human habit-trail. And so I got named miss skyway and I got a dinner for two and twelve helium balloons. But no butter carving.

There you go! Human hampster tubes. The 1980s. Winter smoke screens. Everything you could possible want in a national skyway interview.

Talking about Skyways and Street Life in Minneapolis and Winnipeg with the CBC

Following up on my appearance on the CBC last year to discuss urbanist reactions to Winnipeg, I was on the CBC again yesterday to discuss the pros and cons of skyways and tunnels in downtowns. There is a big debate going on right now about the key intersection in downtown Winnipeg, Portage and Main, and whether or not to re-introduce crosswalks and pedestrian access at the corner.

For people who want to bring back street life at the intersection, it doesn't appear to be going very well.

Here's an excerpt from the latest story on it, with poll results:

"The data shows Winnipeggers really don't like this idea of opening Portage and Main to pedestrians. There is no demographic — not young people, not downtowners, not downtown residents — who want to open the intersection," said Mary Agnes Welch, a senior researcher for Winnipeg-based Probe.  

"There is broad and deep, intense dislike for this idea."

Anyway, I appeared on the CBC radio news to explain about Minneapolis unique skyway system and what lessons, if any, the tensions around skyways might have for folks in Winnipeg.

Fun! I'll have to go back to Winnipeg in a hundred years when they finally get rid of the massive concrete barriers around the sidewalks of their downtown.

[This is what the main intersection of Portage and Main looks like, similar to a shuttered skyway.]

Signed Copies of My Book, "Minneapolis-Saint Paul: Then and Now", Now Available

I have a three big boxes of my new coffee table book sitting in my office right now, and I would be happy to sign them and send them to you. I will make the inscription out to you, your father, your pet, or your favorite Small Area Plan... anything you like!

It's a cool book and looks really good. It has 144 different then-and-now locations featuring an old photo carefully curated alongside a professionally-captured "new" image taken from the same spot. You get a great sense of how the Twin Cities has changed over the last 120 years or so.

They're available in my store and will ship ASAP.


Here's the writeup:

My 144-page photo coffee-table history book about the Twin Cities! 

I chose most of the historic photographs which range from the 1870s to the 1950s, and I wrote the introduction and historical narrative captions for over one hundred (100+) historic sites in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, South Saint Paul, Edina, and the Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory. The "now" pictures were taken in the summer of 2017 by Karl Mondon of San Francisco, California, and he did an amazing job! 

The final result is a full-color, handy, hardcover book that looks great and includes easy-to-use maps of both downtowns on the inside covers.  

Here's the description from the publisher, Pavillion Books: 

Locked together in an affectionate sibling rivalry, Minneapolis and its twin city St. Paul are constantly growing and changing. The long and cold Minnesota winters and humid summers have spawned an architecture to beat the weather with indoor shopping malls, domed stadiums, skyways, and a whole host of sports and celebrations that thrive in this climate. Local author Bill Lindeke shows how the Twin Cities have developed from simple trading posts on the banks of the Mississippi in “the land of 10,000 lakes.” Sites include: Forum Cafeteria, Lumber Exchange Building, Foshay Tower, City Hall, Pillsbury ‘A’ Mill, Milwaukee Depot, Metropolitan Building, Huber H. Humphrey Metrodome, Triangle Bar, Loring Park, Basilica of St. Mary, University of Minnesota, Northrup Auditorium, Swedish Institute, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Hennepin and Lake, Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Minnehaha Falls, Fort Snelling, Seven Corners, Landmark Center, Mickey’s Diner, First State Capitol Building, Third State Capitol, Science Museum, St. Paul Union Depot, and Castle Royal. 

Let me know in the "other" box who you'd like it made out to. I will ship it ASAP.

Order one today!

[Two of the over one hundred "sites" in the book!]

Join Me for a Minneapolis Skyway History Tour on March 10th

*** Note: Limited space available. Buy your ticket today! ***

[Downtown Minneapolis, c. 1963.]

Mark yer calendar!

I'm offering another tour of the downtown Minneapolis skyway system.  The skyway is one of my favorite topics and I've written about it on this blog often.

I love talking with people about the skyway, even if its usually a frustrating conversation. That's one of the things about architecture and urban design issues. They are so often wrapped up in our perceptions and what we bring to our experience...

So why not experience the skyway again for the first time?

I've given this tour a few times, and it's always been popular. I've learned, for example, that Saturday afternoon is the ideal time for a good skyway experience, and have a two (2) mile route through downtown Minneapolis all planned out. It's mostly indoors, but there are a few blocks that will be out on the sidewalk.

Here's the event plug:

Minneapolis Skyway History Tour

Guided tour of the Downtown Minneapolis skyway system, led by urban geography PhD and writer Bill Lindeke. The tour is a two (2) mile walk through the skyways featuring many of the most interesting, noteworthy, and architecturally compelling skyways in Downtown Minneapolis. 

The Downtown Minneapolis skyway system is the largest in the world. It dates to 1962 and has become the most unique feature of Minneapolis' downtown. This tour will explore the origins and development of the downtown skyway system, including the birthplace of the skyways, the longest skyway, the dullest skyway, the skyway with the most street life, the newest skyway, the weirdest skyway, the most architecturally befuddling skyway, the most beautiful skyway, the skyway through the jail, and more.


What: Minneapolis Skyway History Tour
When: Saturday March 10th, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Why: Because it's there
Where: Meet in the IDS Crystal Court
Who: Anyone with a ticket

[See some pics of previous tours below, taken by awesome local artist Steven Lang.]

 

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Six Quick Thoughts on Hosting the Super Bowl

[This was kinda cool.]

The Twin Cities just hosted its first Super Bowl since 1992. For some parts of the city, it was a real short-term transformation as it brought tons of tourists, crazy structures, and police into downtown Minneapolis in February. There were some bizarre sights to be seen.

I have mixed feelings about the experience, and wanted to jot them down before I forget. So here goes, the pros and cons of hosting a Super Bowl at least from an urbanist perspective.


1.    OK the subsidies are gross

This should go without saying, but should also be said as much as possible: the Vikings stadium was a huge taxpayer giveaway to the Wilfs from New Jersey, who seem pretty terrible. Within the Super Bowl dealmaking, too, there were all kinds of shady details. It almost makes me glad that that Eagles fan stole a seat from the stadium.


2.    Great choice of themes

The host committee theme – “the Bold North” – was a bit mockable, but I think it was a great choice. While single-digit temperatures weren’t the worst case, below zero, scenario, I’m sure that the cold temps gave nightmares to the civic booster crowd.

But the #boldNorth branding really did emphasize the aspirational embrace of winter that I think Minnesotans ought to have as a core part of our character. Just like Saint Paul’s ongoing Winter Carnival, we really ought to place winter at the center of our identity. Instead, for way too long, Minnesota’s first narrative reaction has been to retreat from winter and engineer it out of our daily lives.

I think “bold north” was great, and it worked even during an actual cold snap. I wish we had more of this kind of spirit in our media narratives, city planning, and daily lives.


3.    Offered a glimpse of a dystopian corporate future

[Militarized, privatized, corporate downtown.]

Um, Jehovah’s Witnesses on every corner preaching the end of days, military police running around on the streets and rooftops in full battle gear, barbed wire fences appearing and disappearing seemingly at random, trains being privatized and commandeered for the wealthy, billionaires running around in private jets and black limos, corporate branding of every single possible commodifiable fragment of the public realm… where have I seen these kinds of things before?

Oh yeah, dystopian science fiction like Children of Men, Idiocracy, Cosmopolis, The Road, Brazil, or a dozen other grim visions of the future. Only for a week or so, it was all happening in real life right here in Minneapolis.

Be wary, people. Be wary.


4.    Economic impact was really mixed

Of course the fantastical promises of a million people and bazillions of free dollars raining in from all across the globe were extremely misleading, and actual economic studies have been debunking the claims of stadium boosters, convention boot-lickers, and the like for decades now.

The macro picture is not great, but at the micro level, from business to business, it was interesting to hear about places that were seeing a lot of benefit and those that weren’t. Of particular note was the way that skyway businesses did not seem to thrive downtown while street-level ones did better.

Partly that’s because almost all the bars are on the street level, but it’s also because streets and sidewalks are inherently legible spaces to people from all over the world. On the other hand, skyways are inherently confusing and alienating to those who are not used to them on an everyday level.

If downtown Minneapolis is going to be truly ambitious as a global city, that’s something to note, because…


5.    Nicollet Mall is the focus of downtown (but isn’t)

[More cool stuff on Nicollet please.]

Even with the cold temperatures, Nicollet Mall shined during Super Bowl week, which is ironic because actual Twin Cities residents do not use Nicollet Mall in the winter and even in the summer, half the people downtown seem to stay holed up in the skyway. Partly that's because many modern Twin Cities buildings are not designed around Nicollet or the street, which lack shops and doorways compared to other downtowns.

But when the spotlight hits, only Nicollet can serve as the default public space for the city, the plaza and park that occupies the center of attention. I’d love to see the city double down on making Nicollet a true public space. I’d love it if downtown buildings began opening up to Nicollet, and if cafés, events, and people were thriving on Nicollet all year long. To my mind, the Super Bowl crowd during 5º weather proves that it’s possible.


6.    The Twin Cities should dream big

Finally, the way that Minneapolis and Saint Paul did not wilt during the Super Bowl spotlight reminded me that we need to think bigger. It would be nice if our cities began measuring ourselves against truly global competition, if we had a transit system that ranked in the top #5 nationally, for example, or had sustainability footprints that competed with the best in Europe. There’s no reason why the Twin Cities can’t think bigger and more ambitiously about its future.

All in all, a weird but exciting experience with some pluses and minuses if you can get past the subsidy stuff.