From: Chris Johnson:
Yes, I agree. The city ought to master plan the whole city. Not that these selfish drivers would follow the design, or that Hennepin County or the State of Minnesota (especially) would actually LET them.
Some interesting excerpts from 'The Minneapolis Plan', adopted in 1998
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/citywork/planning/planpubs/mplsplan/oldversions/v4/index.html
<snip>
'-Minneapolis will restore and maintain the traditional street grid.'
'-Minneapolis will encourage visitors, workers and residents of mixed use areas to travel by means other than the automobile.'
'-Minneapolis will utilize master planning and regulatory techniques for areas of 100,000 square feet, or 15 acres or greater, so that resultant development or redevelopment is efficient, functional and attractive, incorporating high levels of amenities and meeting public objectives for protection and preservation of the natural environment.'
The most interesting part......
<snip>
The Traditional Street Grid
'The residential street grid laid onto the city from its earliest days has provided yet another powerful organizing force for our neighborhoods. Since the first residents claimed title to land along the Mississippi in the 1850s, the street grid has exerted a great deal of influence over land subdivision. The grid is a primary organizing element, easily understood and navigable by all, whether a neighborhood is familiar or foreign to the traveler. Freeway construction removed blocks of housing and series of neighborhood streets, forever altering how neighbors interacted, did their shopping, or strolled through their neighborhoods. Maintaining the grid pattern of our streets and "healing" it whenever possible is a strong prerogative for the continued vitality of city neighborhoods. In cases where street closures have been approved for the sake of development, attention should be focused on creative solutions to reopening these thoroughfares.
Being able to find one's way through unfamiliar territory brings tremendous benefit to the urban landscape and, whenever possible, new development should correspond to the historical street grid pattern.
Minneapolis will restore and maintain the traditional street grid.
Implementation Steps
-Maintain the street grid as the preferred option while evaluating new development of potential street changes.
-Restore the street grid whenever possible.
-Restore the historic connectivity of street corridors by working with property owners and city agencies on reopening streets such as Nicollet at Lake.
-Pursue the reclamation of air rights above freeways so that through the use of land bridges, neighborhoods can be reconnected and land can be used more productively.'
<snip>
hmmm...this seems contrary to things that have gone on since 1998 such as Heritage Park and developments along the river.
SEAN RYAN Audubon
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