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Cityscape

This project is made possible by grants from the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative and The McKnight Foundation.

Cityscape

Cityscape focuses on urban life in our metro area. Topics range from urban design and architecture to transportation, highways, traffic, transit, walking and biking. Cityscape also examines important urban issues — such as real estate development, education, crime, poverty and family life — as well as the arts, sports and entertainment in our community. Marlys Harris, Steven Dornfeld and Steve Berg have contributed to this department.

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Mall of America parking lot

A vision to make Bloomington more than a giant parking lot

By Marlys Harris | 05/18/12

The so-called South Loop plan would create a kind of new town dense enough to allow apartment living, shopping, dining and walking.

Doughnut development in big urban areas is waning
Cityscape

Doughnut development in big urban areas is waning

By Marlys Harris | 05/14/12

The metro-area trend of a fat, sweet ring of rich suburbs encircling an almost empty inner core is reversing.

Rethinking Hennepin Avenue
Cityscape

Rethinking Hennepin Avenue with urbanist Charles Landry

By Marlys Harris | 05/10/12

Landry is one of those Big Think people, and I wanted to know what he would recommend for humble Hennepin.

Downtown Minneapolis parking lot
Cityscape

Needed to fix parking blight: Lots of trees

By Marlys Harris | 05/07/12

Planners in the Twin Cities are no slouches, and they have been thinking about this.

Hiawatha avenue
Cityscape

Hiawatha struggles to become a destination, not a corridor

By Marlys Harris | 05/03/12

Light rail has helped development along the so-called Hiawatha corridor, but it's not a destination yet.

Go-To card
Cityscape

Transit fare cards gain popularity

By Steven Dornfeld | 04/27/12

For the last five years, a form of smart card – called the Go-To card – has been rapidly gaining in popularity.

Hamline LRT Station sketch
Cityscape

Grants help fund Twin Cities’ transit-oriented development

By Steven Dornfeld | 04/23/12

The Metropolitan Council figures that it doesn’t hurt to prime the pump, especially during these challenging economic times.

TC population growth forecast
Cityscape

Twin Cities population growth expected to slow

By Steven Dornfeld | 04/19/12

Forecasted trends will affect future demand for housing, schools and other services.

Hiawatha Line
Cityscape

Twin Cities’ rail-transit proposals could be on a collision course

By Steven Dornfeld | 04/17/12

Officials from the southwest, northwest and east could be converging at the Capitol seeking $100 million each.

man commuting by bicycle
Cityscape

It’s time to take the ‘Commuter Challenge’

By Steven Dornfeld | 04/12/12

Try taking the bus or train, bicycling, ridesharing, walking or teleworking at least once by June 30.

Suburb
Cityscape

Twin Cities’ exurban housing boom stalls — perhaps for good

By Steven Dornfeld | 04/09/12

Shift largely due to rising gasoline prices and an aging population.

Energy efficient windows
Cityscape

Minnesota builders warn energy-code changes would raise price of homes

By Steven Dornfeld | 04/05/12

Dispute highlights tough housing issue of balancing energy efficiency and affordability.

Minnesota Legislature
Cityscape

Why the quality of Minnesota’s Legislature has declined

By Steven Dornfeld | 04/03/12

Four reasons the Legislature’s membership isn’t what it used to be.

House GOP plan requires bigger subsidies than Metro Transit
Cityscape

House GOP would aid inefficient suburban transit lines

By Steven Dornfeld | 03/29/12

The proposal also opens the door for more suburbs to opt out of the Metro Transit system.

Housing squeeze tight for Minnesota's low-income families
Cityscape

Housing squeeze tight for Minnesota's low-income families

By Steven Dornfeld | 03/26/12

The dramatic decline in home values has not resulted in improved access to affordable housing for extremely low-income families.

Minnesotans are driving less
Cityscape

Minnesotans are driving less, MnDOT says

By Steven Dornfeld | 03/22/12

The trend has helped slow the growth in traffic congestion on metro area roads.

House GOP floats plan to restructure regional planning
Cityscape

House GOP floats plan to restructure regional planning

By Steven Dornfeld | 03/19/12

Proposal would create multiple boards and commissions to do the work now performed by the Met Council.

Cityscape

How MPR’s legal misadventure is driving up the cost of LRT line

By Steven Dornfeld | 03/13/12

The case graphically illustrates one of the reasons that public infrastructure projects escalate in cost and drag on past intended completion dates.

Metro Transit Bus. Image courtesy of Metro Transit
Cityscape

Central Corridor LRT will bring bus service changes

By Steven Dornfeld | 03/05/12

Metro Transit will seek public input beginning this week on plans to restructure bus service along University Avenue.

Gov. Rudy Perpich
Cityscape

With stadium plan, Dayton carries on unfortunate legacy of ‘gambling governor’

By Steven Dornfeld | 03/02/12

Mark Dayton is borrowing a page from the political handbook of Rudy Perpich to expand legalized gambling in Minnesota.

Metro transit express bus
Cityscape

Two routes in St. Paul recommended for bus rapid transit service

By Steven Dornfeld | 03/01/12

Snelling Avenue and West Seventh Street have emerged as candidates for a new form of “urban” BRT service in the metro area.