East Town, also known as Downtown East, used to be "weed strewn lots and abandoned rail yards."
"The 20-year transformation of Washington Avenue S. in downtown Minneapolis is headed toward a finale that features five projects worth more than a half-billion dollars that would turn the area’s last surface parking lots into residences, shops and offices," report Jim Buchta and Nicole Norfleet.
The article describes the changes underway along Washington Avenue, east of Downtown Minneapolis, as a building boom where once there was only "risky" development investments. Change first arrived in 1999, when "CSM restored the historic train shed and Depot landmark and created the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, the Residence Inn and the Depot event space, that included an ice rink and an office center across the street," according to Buchta and Norfleet.
Now a 30-story luxury apartment tower and a new fire station are in the works, and a Trader Joe's was recently added, among lots of other changes. "East Town is not just the North Loop’s little brother anymore. It’s become its own thing," says Shane LaFave, director of multifamily development for Sherman Associates, in the article.
FULL STORY: Remake of Washington Avenue in Minneapolis enters final phase
Super Bowl Will Highlight Stadium's Surrounding Urban Development
Urbanists and planners might consider looking at the development outside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Super Bowl Sunday. Gone are the vast parking lots surrounding the Metrodome, replaced with mixed use and a popular park, the Commons.
New Park, Developments Reshaping Downtown East in Minneapolis
A new park and lots of new development will follow the under-construction stadium for the Vikings on the eastern side of Minneapolis urban core.
A ‘Public Realm Action Plan’ Charts San Francisco’s Post-Covid Comeback
A nonprofit business group released a plan to trigger the post-pandemic revitalization of Downtown San Francisco by reclaiming public space for human scale activity. But is an improved public realm sufficient to meet the challenge?
The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?
In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.
New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.
A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.
Historically Redlined Neighborhoods Have Higher Rates of Pedestrian Deaths, Study Says
The consequences of historic redlining continue to have consequences in the present day United States. Add another example to the list.
Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.
Federal SMART Grants Awarded for Transportation Safety, Equity Projects
The grant program focuses on the use of technology to improve safety, accessibility, and efficiency in transportation.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
