Repost: Saint Paul reveals exciting plans for river balcony park

On September 24, Saint Paul Mayor Coleman presented the city's latest vision to improve the connections between the Mississippi River and downtown Saint Paul while improving the parkland and connections along the river between the Science Museum and the Union Depot. The current vision and model show exciting new features including additional linear and vertical trails, community gathering spaces, market spaces, a restaurant, a dock that welcomes people to the city though Union Depot and more.

This vision of reconnecting downtown Saint Paul to the Mississippi River has grown out of the 2011 Saint Paul Great River Passage Plan. That plan calls for:

• overlooks, and public stairs and elevators at buildings and bridges along the bluff 
• a series of outdoor rooms with panoramic views
• a great year-round destination for shopping, lunch or to relax with friends after a concert of sporting event
• daily lunchtime visitors and early evening entertainment programming
• a great streetscape that supports stronger pedestrian connections into Downtown, and a place in the Grand Round system.

While enthusiasm for the river balcony project is high, both the Mayor and city staff have been frank about the fact that this project is not expected to be completed in five or even 10 years. They have stressed that it is something that will evolve over the many coming years. Despite the long timeline, FMR finds it heartening that the city continues to plan for and work toward reconnecting with the Mighty Mississippi River--a feature that was long ignored and used as a dump.

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This is a repost from Friends of the Mississippi River News, October 12, 2015 by Alicia Uzarek

Street Design Shapes Lifestyle

Picture this:

You live in the neighborhood on the left where the streets were designed with the passive approach. You have errands to run so you get in your car, driving from store to store, even though each store is located just a few hundred feet from each other. You get into your car, likely just to drive across the street and park in another massive and identical looking parking lot. Get out of your car, get back into your car, spend 5-10 minutes to travel .02 miles. Your errands take 2 or 3 hours out of your Saturday.

Or picture this:

You live in a "proactively-designed-streets" neighborhood, and you spend 5-20 minutes a day, stopping for your errands down the block as you walk home from work/school/etc.

What lifestyle sounds more appealing? Which is better for health, happiness, and what is easier on our natural resources?

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Image adapted from the National Association of Transportation Officials Urban Street Design Guide

Density in a Munich Suburb

This post continues a conversation started Tuesday, December 9, 2014 - Suburbs: Twin Cities vs Munich. The previous post gives an areal view. Here I will take you to the ground level of the suburb of Munich - Vaterstetten and Baldham - to showcase how dense, walkable, and transit friendly these neighborhoods are.


Housing

New housing next to the Baldham S-Bahn

New housing going up right next to the S-Bahn (train into downtown Munich) station in Baldham

You can find these blue signs (all the way to the right of the picture) everywhere - I will talk about them in another post

Attached houses

In the newer parts it's very common to see multiple attached units

Notice the garages underneath

You can always find traditional Bavarian style homes

Attached housing right on the edge of the limits

This is a pedestrian-way - no cars allowed

Attached housing allows for privacy, energy efficiency and density

A range of housing can be found here

Bavarian-style architecture is still incorporated in the buildings and housing

So many attached houses!

This is the largest backyard I've seen here - no joke

View from my bedroom window

Car Park

Little containers for smaller-sized cars

Underground parking at a main shopping center next to the S-Bahn

Underground parking for housing

Germans often drive nice cars - and they still like to park them in garages

But the concept of garage is very different

Many use the street as permanent parking spaces

Rows of garages - kind of ugly? But it meets a need in a high density manner

100+ car Walmart-style parking lots in the suburbs? Forget about it -- this is all you get

Parking places intermixed with the boulevards

An on-street parking in addition to that - slows cars down

A chance for greenery

Streets

Roundabout - keeps traffic moving

So green!

Split road with a chance for greenery in the middle

Skinny streets slow cars down

Not quite enough room for 2 side-by-side cars, so cars can drive onto the barrier or up onto the sidewalk to pass

Mirrors help cars see what's coming

Mirror down a perpendicular street

Leaving Baldham - entering Vaterstetten

There is ALWAYS a sidewalk

Be conscious of bikes

Be conscious of pedestrians

A main drag - bikes and peds are always seen here too

Even a main drag has one skinny lane

The sign reads: Speed down, please! Children

Main street perpendicular to the S-Bahn station - lots of shopping and housing here, and always lots of people

Grocery store, bakery, pharmacy, bank, etc., and plenty of housing

Roads are NEVER packed with cars

Just as many people - or more - as autos

Wide roads made skinnier with obstructions

Tiny little streets!

Wide streets made more interesting

You don't drive fast down such a street

Public Spaces

Courtyard with housing, next to shopping and the Baldham S-Bahn station

Green space and playground ares for kids, next to dense housing

3/4-story housing

Large park and green space located next to housing

Courtyard area with shops on the ground level and housing above

Soccer fields, of course

A playground is always walking distance

Small play places are EVERYWHERE

Car park, bike shelter, shops and restaurants, 100 ft from the S-Bahn station

More places for children to mingle

Intermixed in housing

Shops/businesses on ground level, space to mingle

Ways to Get Around, Through, and to Town

Sidewalk along the roundabout

Walking only -- grocer, restaurant, pharmacy, bookstore, clothing, etc -- small, local businesses

Bike park!!!

Bike and ped path, separated, under the S-Bahn, parallel to the street

View from the opposite side

Many pathways like this -- bike and ped only

Adding greenery to an intersection

Bike or drive

Bus stops on tiny suburb streets

This bus stop has flavor!

The "beginning" of a ped and bike-only pathway

Continued

Continued

Continued

Interrupted by small streets and slow-moving/rare traffic, but it keeps going!

Continued

Continued

The start from the opposite end

Amazingly -- this traffic signal exists to stop for pedestrians, only 

Bike/ped path splits a field

If it's there, they will come

Another part of town, another ped/bike-only pathway

Bikes and buses seen in these Bavarian suburbs all the time

Bike park!!

Mixed Use

Hotel, grocer, pharmacy, housing, etc., right next to the S-Bahn station

Ground level restaurants and shops, housing above

Ground level shopping, housing above

Ground level business, housing above

Shops and amenities along the main drag off the S-Bahn in Vaterstetten

Post office, ice cream, bakery, coffee,... housing above

Ground business/shops, housing above AND bike park!