‘Tis the season for wrapping things: Christmas presents, shrubbery… Also statues. And buildings. Here is a particularly artistic shrubbery wrap in South Minneapolis. These may be Lombardy poplars, young and apparently still tender. Streetside … ‣ more…
Here's a story of the origins of the urban preservation and revitalization movement. In yesterday’s below-freezing temperatures and brisk wind we walked the two blocks, 1400 feet, of the urban park that is Milwaukee Avenue … ‣ more…
Monday evening we went to hear Andy Sturdevant talk about strolling throughout the Twin Cities and beyond. If you don’t know Andy’s work, you should. Andy writes The Stroll weekly for MinnPost, which also falls … ‣ more…
How widespread is the Californication phenomenon in the Mac-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul? Here's a quick survey. I use the term Californication for the practice of tearing down an older, smaller house and erecting a … ‣ more…
I learned this wonderful new word today, borrowed from the Dutch. A woonerf is a passageway or space designed to give equal emphasis to multiple modalities of transport: pedestrians, bicyclists, skaters, groups standing around talking, dog … ‣ more…
The Twin Cities are slowly being Californicated. I’m taking liberties with the term, which most know as either a 21st-century TV series starring David Duchovny or a sort of global cultural imperialism originating in Hollywood. … ‣ more…
The residential areas of the Twin Cities, the parts built up in the 20th century, feature a distinctive and characteristic pattern of shared alleyways. I'm coming to understand the critical role this pattern plays in … ‣ more…
