urbanMSP

I'm coming!

I am loving the branding/typography/wayfinding they came up with. James Corner might say it's bloody brilliant

No, he would say it's "elegant."

The StarTribune mentioned updated renderings released Tuesday night, anyone have a link or pictures of them?

You can see them here: http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/05/19/nicollet-mall

Looks as though they've scrapped the set aggregate surfacing material. I am glad. The test patch at Hennepin and 4th is a mess. Scraped up and dusty and crumbling. Not tough enough for our winters.

The biggest improvement will be if the pavement remains durable over time. There are some nice elements to the new design, but I'm skeptical the increased seating along the Mall will last long. The current public seating spaces are now the domain of the homeless , panhandlers, people living in shelters, thug wannabes, etc. That will only increase with more available seating. That's the demographic reality that's been glossed over in this renovation process, which I guess is for fear of being politically incorrect to acknowledge it.

I wonder how those street pavers will feel on a bike. Most brick streets are awful (partly because they're not very well maintained).

The current public seating spaces are now the domain of the homeless , panhandlers, people living in shelters, thug wannabes, etc. That will only increase with more available seating. That's the demographic reality that's been glossed over in this renovation process, which I guess is for fear of being politically incorrect to acknowledge it.

That's just not true, John. When I walk down Nicollet Mall I see people from every walk of life using the seating. People in suits sitting right next to homeless people. Is there visible poverty downtown? Yes. Should we really purposely make things uncomfortable for poor people so we don't have to see them downtown? My opinion is no, we shouldn't.

This is public space, which should be welcoming to the public. And even open to those citizens who you'd disparage as thug wannabes.

Some interesting points about the assessments: http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy ... lot-questi

They are assessing based off of 2013 property values, which means that properties like Nic on 5th, the Wells Fargo twins, etc. are being assessed as parking lots. It also sounds like they very easily could have used 2014 property values, given that the whole assessment plan was only made public recently. Even though they were likely working on the formula, crunching numbers, etc. throughout 2014 (before 2014 values were available), they theoretically could have just subbed in the new numbers as soon as they were ready.

Maybe they plan on subbing in numbers once the properties are built or fully assessed and crediting back a certain amount to the over-charged parcels over time? That would seem fair, though odd they didn't just go with a 'best-guess' knowing what type of structures were going in at the time of the plan.

Does anyone know if there's going to be a curb cut to access the Loring Greenway from Nicollet Mall by bike? That connection is pretty frustrating right now.

Does anyone know if there's going to be a curb cut to access the Loring Greenway from Nicollet Mall by bike? That connection is pretty frustrating right now.

Are bikes allowed on the greenway? I never knew for sure so I always use the street.

http://nicollet.wpengine.com/construction

http://nicollet.wpengine.com/wp-content ... opment.pdf

Here. 1st link is a sign up for automatic emails for construction updates. 2nd link is the full presentation from last night

http://nicollet.wpengine.com/construction

http://nicollet.wpengine.com/wp-content ... opment.pdf

Here. 1st link is a sign up for automatic emails for construction updates. 2nd link is the full presentation from last night

So, the guy on page 15 of the slideshow, isn't he on the verge of getting hit by a bus?

edit: Also not sure why the "Reading Room" is on the opposite side of downtown from the library (and the "Theater" from the Orchestra and, for that matter, most of the theaters on Hennepin).

Does anyone know if there's going to be a curb cut to access the Loring Greenway from Nicollet Mall by bike? That connection is pretty frustrating right now.

It looks like there's no curb that separates the road from the sidewalk, so there's no need for a curb cut.

It's a 4 inch curb but it might be a soft curb

I think they said a 4" curb with a 45 degree slope. So, much better than what exists today, though an actual curb cut would still be nice.

Personally, I don't like the tall lamp posts and the proposed Light Walk in front of the IDS.

Why can't we hand lighting between the buildings? There's no reason to add 50-foot light poles every 30 feet. It looks hideous. I know know they are trying to be creative and provide uniform lighting.

The Light Walk in front of the IDS will obstruct one of the most impressive views in the city. I've loved here for 15 years, but I still find myself looking straight up at the IDS every time I exit the building onto the mall. Why cover that up with a useless 'feature" ?

That's just not true, John. When I walk down Nicollet Mall I see people from every walk of life using the seating. People in suits sitting right next to homeless people. Is there visible poverty downtown? Yes. Should we really purposely make things uncomfortable for poor people so we don't have to see them downtown? My opinion is no, we shouldn't.

This is public space, which should be welcoming to the public. And even open to those citizens who you'd disparage as thug wannabes.

Well, the truth is they will always be panhandlers, homeless, etc as part of the social dynamics of Nicollet Mall. That's not the issue. The point is to maintain a balance where no group dominates the public realm of the Mall. That what keeps the space democratic and safe. I suspect the increase in public seating on Nicolet Mall will create more public safety concerns, especially in the summer. Sorry, but that's the reality of life in the big city in contemporary times.