Secrets of the City

I agree with the downtown journal article, we need a gathering place where we can all hangout and celebrate. To be honest though, i doubt such a place will develop in the near future. I also agree that the place should be located close to the new library but i haven’t heard of any plans that will provide such a place.

Celebrate what?

It’ll just be another central point of loiterers of various kinds.

The DJ website always locks up on me… grrr.

I agree – they really foiled a chance with Block E. I was in Chicago a few weeks ago and Millenium Park is really great. But there was also tons of space for it, and it costed about $500 million or something, which is a lot to spend on a park when your city is in the midst of a crime wave like ours is.

The one big difference betwixt Mpls and Chicago, NY, etc, is that their downtowns are tourist attractions, which means there are people there just hanging around for fun. I dare say DTMPLS is not a tourist attraction and doesn’t have that sort of built-in crowd just hanging around looking for a nice time. Maybe as the new stadium comes online, combined with the new library and some of the residences in that area it could develop over time.

Part of the problem with city design in general at the moment is the lack of public spaces. The spaces that are created an public in name only. Take a look at the space across the street from the Target Center in front of that Italian restaurant whose name I’m blanking on. This is one of the newer spaces in Minneapolis and a perfect example of the trend. The space might as well be called Target Square what with all the brand awareness and it’s public insofar as you are “allowed” to basically sit there for five minute while you wait for you date/friends to go off and consume something.

This is accomplished by creating seating arrangements that are uncomfortable and set up to discourage discourse. Not that nothing really faces anything else. Toss in some really annoying classic rock played at a very loud level and you’ve created a public space that seems to exist soley to repell the public!

Nothing to see here, move along.

Peavy Plaza and and Orchestra Hall are not much better. While they lack the loud music they aren’t what I’d call inviting. People use them simply because there isn’t anything else.

I haven’t read the article yet ’cause I can’t get the damn thing to load.

I think we have a potential to be a tourist attraction. Judging from all the people taking pictures of our buildings as I walk into work, I think we have a modest amount of tourists as it is.

Or they’re just terrorists, scoping out targets.

Or another Margaret photowalk.

Greens already get too much say on the local DFL ticket. I didn’t support them in 2000, and I can’t support the party now — not when they’re still delusional about their role as the spoiler in 2000. Apparently they cling to the notion that in an election decided by about 500 votes, more than 99% of the nearly 100,000 Floridians who voted for Nader that year would have just stayed home.

The Pulse, as always on the forefront of journalism. The Greens have been effectively dead in Minnesota since, what, 2002 at the latest?

Most of the 5% who voted their ticket in 2000 never forgave them.

In Chicago, there’s a vacant lot right smack in the middle of downtown that was once supposed to be a giant office building. The office market crashed in the late 80s/early 90s and the project never went through. Basically, Block 37 has been a farmer’s market, art market, skating rink and anything else that people wanted for a long time. The block was the bain of developer’s and the business community’s existence for nearly two decades (they considered it blight) but the public loved it.

It’s now being developed into a multi-use building and from what I can tell, people that actually live in Chicago are a little upset.

Moral of the story: the last people you should look to for “public space” are the business community, most of whom have no (and shouldn’t have) any real concern for anything that’s free and open to the public. Though they benefit from projects for the public good, they’ve always sucked at creating them. That’s the citizen’s job.

Bigelow chapel in New Brighton received one of 11 AIA honor awards in architecture from Architechtural Record.

Way cool.

I hate the design of the Clinton library however.

oops… forgot to include some flickr photos of the chapel.

Rod G & Saloth Sar (and numbnust who writes for the downtown journal, we already have plenty of public spaces in or near downtown Minneapolis. If you want a quiet place to loiter go under the Glenwood Bridge by the train tracks with a warm pint of Phillips Vodka. Here is a partila list of places of the top of my head:
Peavey Plaza
Loring Park
Cancer Survivors’ Garden
Crystal Court
Walker Sculpture Garden
Riverwalk
William McGuire Park (not sure what it’s called)
Government Plaza
Metrodome Plaza

Jason, based on the local hotel occupancies we have a looooooooong way to go before Minneapolis can be considered a tourist attraction. We have an extremely healthy volume of weekday (mostly corporate / convention) visitors when the weather is decent (mid Apr-mid Nov). There is a marked drop of weekeend leisure visitors (even in the good months), and overall occupancy sucks wind when the weather turns foul. In the midwest, which is pretty much last on the list of most travel planners anyway, there are 2 types of markets: 1) Chicago 2) Everything else. Strides have been made, particularly in the Arts & Dining Scenes, in the last few years, but we have a long way to go until we are a player in the tourism market.

Most of the 5% who voted their ticket in 2000 never forgave them Hmmm, I don’t think that’s true. In 2002, 3.74% voted for state-wide Green Party Auditor and Secretary of State candidates, so clearly over half (thus most) stuck with the GP. Not that the GP is asking for forgiveness – for what would be the question? Voting for what you believe rather than against what you fear? You’ll be waiting awhile for that sorry.

Greens already get too much say on the local DFL ticket. Not sure what the local DFL ticket means, I gather dominance has translated to an expectation that the local ballot line belongs to the DFL. The Green Party has a voice at Minneapolis City Hall because of the deafening silence by the DFL on 1) police accountability, 2) corporate welfare, 3) development interests over community interests and 4) campaign finance.

As much as the DFL has tried to eliminate the Green Party at the state legislature with higher and higher hurdles for ballot access, the Mpls DFL decided to embrace a 10 year-old Green Party policy and organized for Instant Runoff Voting which will be on the ballot in November. The DFLers I work on on neighborhood issues here in CARAG all tell me they appreciate the Green Party being in the races because it makes the DFL candidates more progressive. If the DFL picked up the pace on adopting Green Party policies, Luke and Champs would be happy because the Green Party might no longer exist and we’d all be happier living in a more just and sustainable way.

Looking at my council member’s platform, I find very little to distinguish Ralph Remington from a Green, except for the banner he runs under.

It takes two things to make an active public space: a large inviting space and people walking on the street. Now, in NYC this happens quite naturally, since tons of people stroll around the streets of Manhattan, thus Washington and Union Square become amazing public spaces.

I loved Union Square, during my six month stay in NYC. All the political speeches, 1-1 random debates between people, conspiracy theory guys (Alex Jones) and of course Critical Mass.

In Minneapolis, I think the bigger problem is not enough people walking on the streets. Even the new apartment buildings in Northloop are dead. During the summer this makes absolutely no sense, I think people are still completely subscribed to the car culture even if they live in a nice place downtown.

Then again, the lack of a normal grocery store in the center of the city is ridiculous. Since I am living in the city’s core, I should be able to walk a couple of blocks and be able to shop at a medium-sized grocery store. What the hell? Oh American city planners?

Also a pedestrian-only Nicollet mall may make fora decent gathering place. Streets like that in Europe tend to be great.

You’re assuming — of course — the DFL would win more elections.

There are housing towers going up all over DT Chicago. Don’t know the one you’re specifically talking about, but in general I thought DTC was pretty damn cool and seeing all the new housing towers made me feel like I was somewhere that was really happening.

where is tmayhem when we need him?

kwatt–

I was talking specifically about Block 37, bound by State, Randolph, Washington and Dearborn.

Don’t get me wrong, residential or any other kind of development in urban areas is great. I’d rather see a billion condos go up all over the city than see suburban sprawl continue like it has here. My point is that developers are better at knowing what the tourist or suburban population wants and not so good at creating public spaces for those who actually live in the city. Civic groups, the parks board, local residents, artists/musicians’ groups, etc. are way better for what the Biz. Journal was talking about.

You have a good point, StephenE, but it is worth remembering that in 2002 the Green Sec.State candidate was endorsed by the Strib.

The Green Party and Ralph Nader lied in 2000 when they said there was no difference between Gore and Bush. That’s unforgivable and that’s why so many DFLers, even very liberal ones, are upset with the Green party. I would even go so far as to crush the Greens in Minneapolis, where the DFL needs some competition. I just hate the party now.

The Greens are the worst caricature of the DFL, writ large (or rather, small). Good intentioned but completely inexperienced and empty headed.

Don’t believe me? Look at the naifs they keep endorsing.

I was talking specifically about Block 37, bound by State, Randolph, Washington and Dearborn.

You may as well have said, “Meow, meow, meow, meow”

You may as well have said, “Meow, meow, meow, meow”

Sorry. The huge vacant city block right in the middle of downtown Chicago.

In 2000 Bush and Gore shared a deference to corporate power, so their differences were within a narrow scope of corporate approved topics. It’s OK to talk about God, Guns and Gays, but universal health care is not “politically feasible”, although 70% of the population is in favor of it.

So, Luke, we’ll just have to wait for all those smarts from the UofChicago, Stanford and the Ivy League to come up with policy proposals to reduce wealth & health disparities, increase clean air & water, and break our addiction to war. Hmmmm, I’ll take my chances with the naifs.

Being uninsured is less of a concern for me than our overall national health. It’s true that we’re facing a government driven by issues of God, guns, gays, and gynecology — but the real problems we face are driven by our foreign boondoggles, particularly Iraq. I know Gore wouldn’t have sent us down that road to chain-reaction disaster (increased deficits, energy prices, and interest rates, feeding lower real wages and a sagging housing market).

You’re not taking any chances. You have no chance to take.

Unbelievable.

In the face of the last 6 years of overwhelming evidence of difference between Republicans and Democrats, StephenE still defends Nader. Al Gore’s passionate attacks on the Iraq war and Abu Gharib apparently mean nothing to him.

Do I wish Democrats would do more to put universal health care on the agenda? Sure do. But they got burned big time last time they tried, and they’re gun shy. Shit, every time liberals have tried to institute universal health care in the US, they’ve gotten shot down. It’s not a reason to stop fighting for it, but you can see how that would damping the political elite’s enthusiasm. FWIW, I think the tide is turning on universal health care…there’s just too much pain out there right now with costs rising like they have been. Change is in the air.

Luke Luke Luke. Is Gore running for president? Did he campaign for anyone in 2002 or 2004? The game was over for Gore, it’s hardly significant to find passion after the clock has run out. Looking at the Republican-enablement work the elected Democrats have done the last six years is telling.

Well Champs, IF (Big IF) Gore has survived the neo-con onslaught for allowing 9/11/01, perhaps not Iraq. Surely we’d have exacted our revenge and killed civilians in Afghanistan just as Bush did in our name. But yes, our love of all things war is a bit of a drain on our national treasury. Who cares though? After 9/11 both sides of the aisle told Americans to go shopping! Get out there and buy buy buy.

Well when you have a cost overrun of about 14500% on the Iraq war you can’t expect us to actually fund health care can you?

I think companies are going to soon realize that universal health care is in their best interest. Most industrialized countries offer some sort of universal health care, and thus this is not a cost to the companies that run in those countries. That cost is currently being paid by US companies. Thus, if they want to lower costs they have to cut this benefit. However, they can cut this benefit because the employees will baulk. Therefore, some sort of government sponsored health care is in the cards. Let us hope it is better than the medicare prescription drug “benefit.”

Moonbats.

Naifs.

Where’s the funny word for Republican?

Where’s the funny word for Republican?

Wingnuts.

That’s not that funny, nor is it original.

Republicans are neither funny or original.

How about pnuckers?

You know what’s funny and original? People that use the words wingnut and moonbat thinking that either one is much of an insult.

From now on, all liberals should be referred to as “Big Dreamers” and all conservatives should be called “Racist Tax Cheats.” Try calling anybody in those two groups those names; they’ll really get mad.

What’s wrong with being a big dreamer?

I don’t really like being called a “moonbat” … it doesn’t make much sense. Wingnut is at least understandable and somewhat a source of pride among the Right.

Luke–

I think that’s the point. Call a liberal a big dreamer and they get mad and say that there’s nothing wrong with dreaming big. A conservative on the other hand, has such a complete failure of imagination (isn’t that really the definition of conservative?) that this comes off as an insult.