MinnPost published this article yesterday which grades communities in the Twin Cities based on a list developed by a land use lawyer out of Seattle. MinnPost chose 6 qualities and gave ratings for the Twin Cities as a whole; however, the real question is are these qualities really something we should pay any attention to?
The items highlighted by MinnPost:
- No. 1: Wood-framed storefronts and proud displays.
No. 2: Commercial porches with color and vantage points to the streets.
No. 3: Water features that emulate nature.
No. 4: Spectacular examples of shopping tradition.
No. 5: Culturally indigenous engravings built into the environment.
No. 6: Children in public squares.
A conservative taxpayer may look at this, aside from #6 which is meant to show low perceived crime rates, and say, “absolutely not” while another more liberal spender who is a fan of the arts may jump up and down excitedly like Mayor Elizabeth Kautz after getting a levy increase passed. While there should probably be a mix of both of these attitudes to meet the demands of the general public, most of these items, regardless of MinnPost’s opinion, do not really exist here in any meaningful way but the question is whether they’re really necessary in the first place.
What about you? Do you think these 6 items are at all valuable? Are you concerned about facades, shopping, and water features? Do you let your kids walk to school or go to the park without being in your direct line of sight at all times? Do you think these sorts of ideals are not relevant in 2013 due to the economic realities we face? If we ignore these sorts of cultural and artistic items in our communities will we become a drab and almost communist bloc country in design? Whatever you have to say about this go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Dakota Complaints Map
Dakota Inmate Dashboard
Loading ...
January 31st, 2013 at 10:33 am
Huh….a blog post about an absolutely moronic article talking about an even more absolutely moronic article.
Can we go back to talking about raw beef and sickos jerking off in Eagan so we can forget that people like this “Seattle-based land use lawyer” not only exist, but are regarded highly enough to be written about?
Besides, the faster we bury this garbage in the ether, the less likely it is that someone like Kautz catches a whiff of it and decides we need to create another fake “downtown” with more ridiculous crap like wayfaring signs, “woodframed storefronts and proud displays”, and “culturally indigenous engravings built into the environment”. What the hell does that even mean?
We ESPECIALLY need to hide this shit before the Dakota County Commissioners see “Water features that emulate nature” and interpret that as needing to spend $5 million+ BULLDOZING NATURE to build stuff that emulates nature (e.g. Whitetail Woods “Park” and those fucking ridiculous treehouses).
The number one “quality every City should have” is citizens who are not victimized by a small group of pseudo-idealistic douchecanoes with local power cramming qualities THEY believe every City should have down everyone’s throats.
January 31st, 2013 at 10:57 am
Tell us how you really feel, MSPD!!
January 31st, 2013 at 11:34 am
Do you let your kids walk to school or go to the park without being in your direct line of sight at all times?
—————————
No to walking to school..because they don’t plow the sidewalks in a timely fashion and I don’t want someone running them down. As it is, almost daily someone blows by the bus(s) they ride when it has the red lights flashing.
The only thing I really desire in a city is the ability to walk to places and feel safe doing so, meaning sidewalks and/or bike lanes. It’s better than other parts of the US I’ve lived though where there’s no sidewalk, let alone even a shoulder on the roads.
January 31st, 2013 at 12:20 pm
C&V, one of these times, I’ll open up.
I missed the question re: letting kids walk to school (or the bus) or go to the park. In our case, we do.
January 31st, 2013 at 12:26 pm
It seems the article applies more to urban core cities than suburbs like Lakeville or Burnsville. That said, I think actual natural spaces (rather than water features that emulate nature) is high on my list of things that cities should have.
Children (or people in general) being active in public spaces is certainly a sign of community vitality, I think. If people are walking down “main street” or regularly using biking paths and community parks, that shows a sense of connection to the community and a feeling of safety.
I don’t particularly care about “wood-framed” storefronts, but I think some architectural requirements in zoning codes are helpful in creating and sustaining a vibrant retail/commercial area.
The rest … meh.
How about an active business community, meaning businesses and business owners that are engaged in community events and efforts? It’s not something the government can make happen (though there may be ways to encourage it), but it’s definitely something I would look for in a suburban community.
And lastly, no mention of education? The colleges of St. Paul and the U of M are huge drivers of culture and community improvement, and the commitment to quality public schools (combined with availability of private schools) are definitely things that make for better cities.
March 10th, 2013 at 8:34 am
As the author of the original article in Atlantic Cities it is fascinating to see what happened to it and how the photos and messages got lost. Thanks to MinnPost for this fine detour…