urbanMSP

Couldn't Minneapolis put together some sort of fund/task force to standardize the skyways and make them more useful? (increased and consistent hours, more and better street-skyway connections, ect.)

Thought that was part of the Downtown Council's jurisdiction (at least I know of a non-profit that worked with them to coordinate an event in the skyways).

I think the hours are more mostly consistent now, perhaps aside from Macy's (which of course is a hub) which isn't open after store close (even though it's open before the store in the morning).

Street connections are unfortunately a loaded topic, as certain business interests are concerned they will bring in the wrong people (which is super racist). There was a MinnPost article about what happened to the enhanced street connection that was supposed to be added as part of the Mall renovation but got dropped.

How about a blue-ribbon committee? Committees don't get any better than that.

We did, in fact, just pass a bunch of new regulations for skyways involving design and wayfinding and location and so on:

http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 184863.pdf

Existing ones are grandfathered in, though.

Street connections are unfortunately a loaded topic, as certain business interests are concerned they will bring in the wrong people (which is super racist). There was a MinnPost article about what happened to the enhanced street connection that was supposed to be added as part of the Mall renovation but got dropped.

The connection that was proposed was never a realistic option -- there just isn't enough ROW to do what they were proposing.

Sort of related: The Nic on Fifth seems to be installing a new elevator between the ground and the skyway, right by the top of the skyway escalators. (Currently, handicapped access to the skyway level involves going through the apartment lobby.) I thought they might have been required to by the new regs, but they should be grandfathered in, so I guess I don't know. I mean, it's great that they're doing it, but it seems a surprisingly big investment for a year-old building that has yet to actually get a skyway-level tenant.

Isn't there a Starbucks going in on the ground level? Maybe they wanted it.

Oh, right. Had totally forgotten about the Starbucks since you can't really see it happening.

Additionally, the Nic might just be planning to be a busier skyway entrance now that the additional LRT platform is finally being completed and will dump incoming riders right at their door.

Here's a fun one - I pass this occasionally and always chuckle. It's on the back side of the Ameriprise building behind the elevators going over to Capella/Strib building (which is called US Bank Place on this sign, a name the building had only very briefly at the end of the last millenium (97-00). Likewise, Pilsbury Center has been US Bank Plaza since 2004.

Time to update this one maybe???

and what is that other image on there? Looks like something from 1982?

I think the caption below it says "Metronome"? Strange thing to point to in a skyway system!

Can we all agree that new a new design for skyway sign is badly needed. The current "water" background looks incredibly dated and news to be modernized, especially now that we have both the Super Bowl and Final Four coming to town.

So this showed up in my Facebook feed today:
http://rachelbrandon.com/the-lovehate-r ... -redesign/
I'm on mobile, so I'd appreciate it if someone could post pictures of the map/signage for me. They look good!

MAP:

Signage:

And

I know that subway maps are sexy, and that's the first place people go when thinking about something like this, but I think the route idea is an unnecessary layer of complexity.

So when giving directions from C Ramp to the US Bank Stadium you would just have to say...

Take the Red line to green line, to the orange line, to the dark blue line, to the black/dark blue line but continue on to the dark blue line to, the purple line, and you're there!

Yea, Sounds easy enough.

If this were just a subway-style map I wouldn't disagree, but I think it's less about tracing "routes" than making user orientation easier. You can glance at the color of the overhead sign and then easy find which "line" you're on or which route you need.

So when giving directions from C Ramp to the US Bank Stadium you would just have to say...

Take the Red line to green line, to the orange line, to the dark blue line, to the black/dark blue line but continue on to the dark blue line to, the purple line, and you're there!

Yea, Sounds easy enough.

While I appreciate the snark, the route to get there isn't simple in the first place.

Additionally, the purpose of having a map/signage is to provide directions on the go, inside the system, so you don't need to write down "take X to Y then right onto Z double back and climb over the wall then four more lefts and you're there" to find your way around.

Do we have anyone on that aforementioned skyway commission thing that could push for something like this (since it was basically empty), or would we have to lobby some city council people?

Street connections are unfortunately a loaded topic, as certain business interests are concerned they will bring in the wrong people (which is super racist).

To be fair, I don't think it has so much to do with race as it does with not wanting people to loiter, vandalize, or defecate in the skyway. There is some precedence for concern due to the anti-social behaviors that have been occurring in the skyway near the street connection to the St Paul Skyway: http://www.twincities.com/2017/01/27/me ... ppy-crowd/

I can't claim to know the best way to solve the problem. But let's not accuse a nameless group of alleged people you don't know of being racist -- unless you have actual evidence of racism.

Street connections are unfortunately a loaded topic, as certain business interests are concerned they will bring in the wrong people (which is super racist).

To be fair, I don't think it has so much to do with race as it does with not wanting people to loiter, vandalize, or defecate in the skyway. There is some precedence for concern due to the anti-social behaviors that have been occurring in the skyway near the street connection to the St Paul Skyway: http://www.twincities.com/2017/01/27/me ... ppy-crowd/

I can't claim to know the best way to solve the problem. But let's not accuse a nameless group of alleged people you don't know of being racist -- unless you have actual evidence of racism.

Nope, they're racists and I see no treason to be worried about their feelings.

If this were just a subway-style map I wouldn't disagree, but I think it's less about tracing "routes" than making user orientation easier. You can glance at the color of the overhead sign and then easy find which "line" you're on or which route you need.

I'm not sure these routes are the right ones, but we need something. St. Paul has signs that indicate major destinations that (Town Center that way or something like that), which helps, but it's nearly impossible to give directions in the Minneapolis skyway unless it's to the next building over. Adding some type of structure seems like a good idea.