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Kinda Different

Notes of a lifelong Easterner transplanted to the Twin Cities

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Category Archives: Urban Design

Leaning into Architecture and History

Kinda Different Posted on 2021-09-24 by kdawson2021-10-04

Andy Sturdevant wrote a regular column, The Stroll, for MinnPost until 2017. I still miss it. For those who feel the same, I can offer a brief taste of Andy’s writing on a Stroll-like architectural … ‣ more…

Posted in Architecture, History, Urban Design | Leave a reply

St. Paul’s Ghost Parks

Kinda Different Posted on 2018-09-09 by kdawson2018-09-16

I stumbled upon the existence of the ghost parks in a singular way. I was returning home from the post office on West 7th, driving north up Lexington Pkwy., when a startling notation on the … ‣ more…

Posted in Exploring, Names, Urban Design | 18 Replies

No Bridge

Kinda Different Posted on 2016-12-09 by kdawson2016-12-09

Past the river end of St. Paul’s Summit Avenue, Riverside Boulevard takes a 3,000-ft. looping detour around Shadow Falls Park. Why isn’t the gorge bridged? A 600-foot span would add captivating views and picturesque charm, … ‣ more…

Posted in Driving, Urban Design | 11 Replies

22.5

Kinda Different Posted on 2015-11-22 by kdawson2015-11-22

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…

Posted in Architecture, Streetscapes, Urban Design | 2 Replies

Stroll

Kinda Different Posted on 2015-11-20 by kdawson2015-11-21

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…

Posted in Architecture, Culture, Streetscapes, Urban Design | Leave a reply

Preservation

Kinda Different Posted on 2015-11-05 by kdawson2018-10-24

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…

Posted in Architecture, Streetscapes, Urban Design | 6 Replies

Revisiting

Kinda Different Posted on 2015-10-27 by kdawson2015-10-27

I took a walk yesterday around Mac-Groveland and Merriam Park, about 4 miles, and it prompted updates to several topics I have touched on before. Peanuts statues. O’Gara’s at Snelling and Selby looks to be … ‣ more…

Posted in Public Art, Urban Design | 1 Reply

Graceful

Kinda Different Posted on 2015-08-12 by kdawson2016-06-13

Here are a few photos captured on a walk around Mac-Groveland this noon: three sidewalk poems, several stop-sign posts that are more beautiful than they need to be, and a re­minder of where stormwater ends … ‣ more…

Posted in Public Art, Urban Design | 9 Replies

Venerable

Kinda Different Posted on 2015-08-11 by kdawson2015-08-17

Lots of businesses in St. Paul are capital “O” old. They may not be old by the standards of the East Coast’s settlement, 400 years ago; but they are venerable for businesses. Examples: In this … ‣ more…

Posted in Urban Design | 8 Replies

Woonerf

Kinda Different Posted on 2015-08-01 by kdawson2015-08-11

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, … ‣ more…

Posted in Streetscapes, Urban Design | Leave a reply

Recent Posts

  • Newcomers 2022-05-13
  • Leaning into Architecture and History 2021-09-24
  • Wild Grind Coffee 2021-09-20
  • Suddenly at Home 2020-03-30
  • Tracking Down Minnesota’s “Doughnut Cities” 2019-10-06
  • Aldus, Bembo, and the Semicolon 2019-08-06
  • The River’s Source, Part 2 2019-07-31
  • The River’s Source, Part 1 2019-07-29
  • A Tale of Two Boutwells 2019-07-20
  • Venerable Hole in the Wall 2019-07-13
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  • Sorting All the Saint Pauls 2019-06-26
  • St. Paul’s Ghost Parks 2018-09-09
  • Roots Roasting; Brewed Awakenings 2018-09-02
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  • Fiber » Cable 2016-07-30
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  • Polite 2015-12-30
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  • 22.5 2015-11-22
  • Stroll 2015-11-20
  • Rooting 2015-11-13
  • Peculiar 2015-11-07
  • Preservation 2015-11-05
  • Haunting 2015-10-31
  • Revisiting 2015-10-27
  • Booyah 2015-10-24
  • Heat? 2015-10-06
  • Pink 2015-10-04
  • Rooted 2015-09-25
  • Fair 2015-09-10
  • Pre-Fair 2015-09-04
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  • Parade 2015-08-29
  • Driver 2015-08-27
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  • Library 2015-08-22
  • Craft 2015-08-15
  • Graceful 2015-08-12
  • Venerable 2015-08-11
  • Slice 2015-08-09
  • Frozen 2015-08-07
  • Siren 2015-08-05
  • Elf 2015-08-01
  • Woonerf 2015-08-01
  • Juicy 2015-07-25
  • Twins 2015-07-23
  • Californication 2015-07-18
  • Alley 2015-07-15
  • Access 2015-07-15
  • Van 2015-07-15
  • Breakfast 2015-07-15
  • Sleep 2015-07-15
  • Names 2015-07-13
  • Arrival 2015-07-13
  • Betwixt 2015-07-12
  • Kinda 2015-06-27

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