Linking up the last part of the Grand Rounds trail would create a continuous pedestrian and biking loop around the city.

A newly proposed master plan for Minneapolis includes details for a five-mile link that would close the gap in the city’s Grand Rounds trail, reports Jessica Lee. If the last leg is completed, the route would extend the now 50-mile trail and provide a continuous loop around the city.
Lee says that city officials by 2009 had made five unsuccessful attempts to build the extension. This latest effort is part of the East of the River Park Master Plan and would connect trails in the southeast and northeast of the city.
Stakeholders generally agree about what should happen on the north and south ends of the proposed extension. The middle section, however, would include land owned by the University of Minnesota, which is not fully on board with the plan. The route would also traverse a BNSF Railway rail yard and require the construction of bridges, a costly prospect, notes Lee.
The city’s park and recreation board will vote on the master plan in February. If approved, it will continue on to the Metropolitan Council, the Minneapolis regional planning organization, which oversees funding for the trail.
FULL STORY: Momentum building to fill in Grand Rounds’ missing link

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

The French Solution to Congested Tunnels: Make Them Car-Free
Bay Area transportation officials keep expanding car capacity. Lyon’s Croix Rousse Tunnel offers a different way.

Missouri Governor Reverses Anti-Discrimination Housing Policies
A new state law bars cities from prohibiting source-of-income discrimination against tenants using Section 8 housing vouchers.

USDOT Launches Unfunded 'SAFE ROADS' Program
The program targets “distractions” and “political messages or artwork,” and paves the way for autonomous vehicles.
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.
City of Fort Worth
planning NEXT
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie