A proposed land bridge that would reconnect the Rondo neighborhood is one of the dozens of projects to be awarded a Reconnecting Communities grant this week.

A land bridge proposal in St. Paul could move forward after the project was awarded $2 million in a Reconnecting Communities grant, rpeorts Kyle Stokes in MinnPost. The 20-acre proposed freeway lid would span Interstate 94 and reconnect the Rondo neighborhood and reclaim space for housing, parks, and commercial space.
MinnPost interviewed Keith Baker, executive director of ReConnect Rondo, a nonprofit advocating for the land bridge, on the importance of the project. “Prior to the freeway going through, there was a social, cultural, economic, spiritual, civic fabric, that is about the culture of Rondo, and because people still live in Rondo, still have pride in Rondo, still have businesses in Rondo, still own homes in Rondo, still have spiritual connections to the institutions that remained in Rondo. Even though the freeway came through and dismantled these various aspects of the fabric, it can still be harnessed — but there’s not a drawstring to bring them together,” Baker explains.
If you leverage a transportation investment to do community-building — while the newly created structure, in and of itself, doesn’t create the kind of outcomes, it’s a catalytic mechanism that can create better outcomes.
More than just a land bridge, Baker says that capping the freeway “important, not only symbolically, but in a physical sense, to help us begin to think through how to heal community and understand what it could mean residually into the future.”
FULL STORY: ReConnect Rondo leader: No, a land bridge over I-94 wouldn’t be too expensive to build

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

Cool Walkability Planning
Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.
The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

Home Insurers Are Fleeing California
Homeowners in the state are finding it increasingly difficult to secure insurance policies thanks to the growing risks of wildfire, drought, and other climate threats.

Los Angeles County Initiates Effort to Advance Equity in Infrastructure
L.A. County Public Works has launched an initiative to center equity in all of its processes, programming, and services as it plans, designs, builds, and maintains modern infrastructure that uplifts all communities of the county.

Addressing the Noise Impacts of Pickleball
Pickleball may be America's fastest growing sport, but it is not universally loved because of the noise it causes. Learn one expert's ideas for mitigating the noise impacts.
Caltrans
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
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.