Amid a national tidying trend, new interest in micro apartments
It’s not just stuff. For some people, homes themselves are becoming simpler and smaller.
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.
Never take a good street parade for granted
Can MayDay and Grand Old Day find a way to march toward a sustainable future?
From streetcar to BRT: The return of the Selby-Lake transit corridor?
The No. 21’s Selby-Lake-Marshall-University Avenue route wasn’t always so complicated. During the dawn of the streetcar era, the straight-shot Selby-Lake streetcar was one of the key east-west connections linking the Twin Cities.
It’s pothole-filling time. So where does the asphalt come from?
St. Paul’s Municipal Asphalt Plant is a 55-year-old structure that towers impressively over the ball fields and skate park on Front Avenue.
In the shadow of Nathan Hale, a small dispute over a small slice of land
In a corner of the Nathan Hale Park, a problem popped up this year when a neighboring fence mistakenly truncated a slim margin of land.
How one St. Paul community is using an equity scorecard to direct neighborhood change
The hope is that, with the scorecard, both developers and residents can better understand at a glance what people community members want.
The Frogtown Neighborhood Association has launched an ambitious plan to democratize planning. Through cartoons
The jury is still out on whether Frogtown’s innovative gamble will work out. But at the very least, the new format has already increased engagement and access to knowledge.
A brief history of St. Paul ice palaces
The majority of St. Paul’s historical ice palaces were not actual physical buildings, but more like icy structures best viewed from a relative distance.
A century later, Minneapolis’ failed city plan still resonates
To my eyes, the document marked a watershed moment when Minneapolis leaders began to think publicly and holistically for the first time. The problem is that almost none of its recommendations ever got adopted.
St. Paul’s LED test illuminates the complexity of light itself
The history of urban street lighting is secretly fascinating, and once you open up Pandora’s light bulb, the resulting complexity is staggering.
End of an era on the West Bank as video store shuts its doors
The modern internet era, combined with the proliferation of cable, has made the brick-and-mortar video store as obsolete as an elevator operator.
Lawmakers at work: On roadways, hands-free phones and bike ed
Debates in the Minnesota Legislature have reached full swing, and so far the early results suggest there could be a lot of activity around state transportation policy.
St. Paul’s skyway issues are ongoing and unsolved
The issues? “Security, safety, litter, comments about things like employees having to walk through the skyway when there are people sleeping in there,” said Jon Fure.
A delicate negotiation: Rainbow Foods sits smack in the middle of soccer plans
Something as seemingly simple as dislodging a redundant grocery store has proven to be a real challenge.
Winter bike deliveries: The coffee and bread must go through
“On days like today, where it’s 30 degrees or sloppy, it’s my favorite,” said Micah Taylor. “… for me personally, biking in the winter just feels good.”
Mobile, one-room Light Hotel celebrates ‘the luxury of less’
Throughout 2017, the Light Hotel — created from a salvaged shipping container — will plant itself all around St. Paul and Minneapolis in the hopes of creating a conversation about housing and design.
Minnesota Capitol parking: highlights of the off-off-the-beaten-track tour
Parking lots form half of the state government’s land-use footprint in St. Paul.
Is it even possible to plan for transit to the Shakopee Amazon facility?
With the thousands of entry-level jobs that are migrating to the exurbs, something must be done. Starting this month, a new pair of suburban buses will be trying their best to serve Shakopee’s workers.
Blue Line’s public art project still hanging in there, surviving the cold
Called “Small Kindnesses, Weather Permitting,” the short recordings are a 2004 light-rail-station project by Janet Zweig.
Downtown Minneapolis nears another retail watershed
It turns out that the downtown retail scene isn’t all bad news. It is beginning to focus on a local, small-scale, and walkable future.
