One man’s quest to include bike commuting reports on MPR’s morning programming
G. Travis Norvell, aka @pedalingpastor on Twitter, found himself annoyed that commuting information focused exclusively on those getting around by car.
Bill Lindeke
Bill Lindeke is a lecturer in Urban Studies at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Geography, Environment and Society. He is the author of multiple books on Twin Cities culture and history, most recently St. Paul: an Urban Biography. Follow Bill on Twitter: @BillLindeke.
For climate action and equity, Hennepin Avenue is where the rubber meets the road in Minneapolis
After years of passing plans claiming the city is serious about climate change and safe streets, the Hennepin Avenue redesign actually puts these ideas into practice.
How a parking ramp provided a brief pandemic respite to one Twin Cities choir
The ramp at HealthPartners’ Bloomington headquarters provided a safe space to gather — and, of course, plenty of parking.
Three reasons why the new Orange Line is the best suburban transit project yet
There are limitations to a freeway-based transit line, but the Orange Line makes the best of them.
Como Park should start charging money for parking
If St. Paul is serious about its climate goals, it should stop subsidizing car storage in the crown jewel of its parks system.
A tour of the public art in Minneapolis’ new Public Service Building
Taken as a whole, the new building feels a bit like a science-fiction set, one from films like Her or Star Trek.
Why St. Paul and Ramsey County’s $74 million affordable housing fund is a big deal — and not nearly enough
The money will help build at least 1,000 new homes for families making 30 percent of the Area Median Income.
Downtown St. Paul is likely going to lose its historic railroad lift bridge
Thanks to its gradual obsolescence, the Waddell lift bridge’s days are numbered.
Public transit use needs to double in the next decade to fight climate change. In the Twin Cities, that will be hard.
What would have to change?
In praise of the community message board
If you glimpse an old-school message board, it’s a sign you’re at an urban hotspot, part of a city alive with the footsteps of strangers.
Accessory Dwelling Units could make a big difference for veteran homelessness in the Twin Cities — if we just allow them to
Advocates see small homes located on existing residential and nonprofit properties as a possible solution to quickly providing more kinds of housing in Minneapolis and St. Paul, but regulations on the structures — and their costs — have prevented widespread construction.
How residents, business owners and elected officials are reimagining the corner of Rice and Larpenteur
The area, at the intersection of St. Paul, Roseville and Maplewood, has long been dominated by strip malls, parking lots and very wide roads.
With two complete street rebuilds, Minneapolis is taking traffic calming to the next level
Horizontal deflection, tabled intersections, chicanes and more.
After 184 years, a home for Dakota people and culture returns to wakan tipi
Funded by a host of different public agencies and nonprofits, the new Wakan Tipi Center is scheduled to open by 2023.
The Twin Cities’ most important bicycle mapmaker is retiring
If you’ve been anywhere near a Twin Cities bike shop in the last forty years, you’ve likely seen Doug Shidell’s Twin Cities Bike Map.
Why Twin Cities housing prices might see some major increases in coming years
The Twin Cities metro has one of the lowest housing vacancy rates anywhere in the nation — worse than notoriously unaffordable San Jose.
Custom gem in Elliot Park showcases the future of Minnesota skate parks
Seamlessly integrated into the surrounding neighborhood, the Elliot Park skate park is busy with skaters pretty much all day long.
On the art of trying new restaurants
When you travel down any of the diverse commercial corridors of the Twin Cities, new and unexplored restaurants are all around you.
Without commuters, Metro Transit gets creative about getting riders on board
Dramatic changes in commuting brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have created challenges for transit agencies — but also present opportunities.
If approved by voters, St. Paul’s rent control ordinance would be among the strictest in the world
The proposed ordinance lacks many of the exemptions that are common in other places that have rent stabilization, and that may have bad effects on St. Paul’s future housing supply.
