Although they've been derided by urbanists near and far, Minneapolitans overwhelmingly support the city's Skyways. James Corner Field Operations embraces the skyway system as a key element in its proposal for the city's Nicollet Mall Redesign.
"Minneapolis, with its 8+ miles of skyway has had reams of ink written about its history, its pros (shelter, higher rents, architectural landmarks) and its cons (kills street life, ruins retail businesses, is confusing/claustrophobic), and what we should do about them (tear them down, seize them with eminent domain, improve access)," observes Samuel Geer.
"Refreshingly," he says, a recent proposal by Field Operations for upgrading Nicollet Mall, the city's historic retail throughfare, "embraces the skyways and draws from the contemporary urban space playbook to create new landmarks and a more coherent network of public spaces downtown."
"While the meat of the design proposal relates to the streetscape interventions and the re-branding of the mall into 'Live, Play, and Work' districts, the skyways and their intersections with the street inform the placement of several key space making elements of the plan," explains Geer.
FULL STORY: The Nicollet Walk: A Stairway to the Skyway
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.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie