Heat pumps could be part of the solution to decarbonizing Minnesota and addressing climate change
The machines make it possible to heat and cool buildings using only electricity, not natural gas.
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.
In first months since passage of St. Paul’s rent-control ordinance, housing construction is way down
The decline may have a lot to do with the inherently conservative nature of most construction financing.
Minnesota is considering changing the rules governing monuments on the grounds of the Capitol
The change was proposed after the toppling by protesters of a statue of Columbus in 2020, when it became clear there wasn’t a formal process for asking for a monument’s removal.
Imagining the Twin Cities without I-94
On being free of freeways.
R.I.P. St. Paul’s Snelling/Marshall Starbucks drive-thru
The five-year saga of Carbucks illustrates how difficult it is for cities to remove drive-thrus once they are built — even obviously dysfunctional ones.
Will Minnesota elected officials work to acquire the Ford rail spur in St. Paul before it’s too late?
The right-of-way encompassed by the spur could be a critical trail and transit link in the capital city. But negotiations with Canadian Pacific to buy the land haven’t really started, and meanwhile the railroad has the option of selling it off piece by piece.
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.
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.
