Minneapolis: Initial Thoughts

Hello from Minneapolis!

I have been here in the hospitable-but-humid midwest since Sunday evening. I was here to do some urban design consulting work for a project in Minnetonka and stayed an extra day to check out the downtown area and its family-friendliness.

This morning I was lucky enough to meet with Beth Elliott, a Principal City Planner with the City of Minneapolis who works specifically on the downtown area. She filled me in on some of the policy and governing aspects of Minneapolis and also gave me a number of wonderful contacts with whom I hope to follow up. She mentioned I should check out the Milltown and North Loop neighborhoods downtown, as well as Uptown. I'll debrief my interview with her in another post.

But first, here are some initial, off-the-top-of-my-head thoughts and observations about the city as a whole and its level of family-friendliness.

• I know it is cold in the winter in Minneapolis. I can also attest to the hot, humid summers. That said, the skyways that connect Minneapolis' downtown core of civic and office buildings really suck the energy and life off of the street. The sidewalks are scarily devoid of people. After my meeting with Beth I headed out to find a bite to eat for lunch. After a few blocks of finding nothing at street level, I headed into a building and went up to the skyway level and found it buzzing with people, small shops and the real lobbies to the office towers above. I may have a different opinion in the winter when it is blowing snow sideways, but I tend to agree with the now common belief that sky bridges and skyways pull people away from the public realm.
• The bike share system in Minneapolis, called Nice Ride (part of the Bixi Bike Share family that includes cities like Montreal, Toronto, Boston and Melbourne), is a WONDERFUL way to see the city. I picked up a bike right downtown and headed out to the Mill District and then along the river to the North Loop neighborhood.

• Milltown has some great amenities, is VERY close to downtown, is right along the Mississippi River and park system and trails. While it looks a little pricy, it mixes the old mill bulidings with new developments and cultural institutions in a classy, respectful way.


• The North Loop neighborhood is made up of a mix of old warehouse buildings and new developments. It seems like it is in the early stages of becoming a true neighborhood, complete with services, shops, and daily needs within walking distance, but it is well on its way.

• I stopped and spoke with a man in the North Loop at the dog park and asked him about the neighborhood. He said it was a great place to be for young professionals, was close to downtown, and was going through a lot of change and investment (which is starting to pick up again. He was actually invested in some of the development projects in the area and worked in a small office building. He had lived in Uptown for a long time but then moved out to Minnetonka (strange coincidence) 15+ years ago.

• I spent a little while at a local coffee shop in the North Loop called Corner Coffee. It's a great spot that attracts a lot of professionals and residents in the area. It features live music and a nice, comfortable, welcoming atmosphere along with great coffee. According to Beth, the owner of the coffee shop is very involved in the community and is raising his chlidren there. I'll be interested to talk to him if possible!

• There is a great neighborhood association in the North Loop neighborhood that is very active in promoting children's amenities in the district. In fact, they helped fundraise and install a new playground. Check it out!

That's it for now, more to come!