Dubiousask

[Detail of a frieze on Saint Paul City Hall.] One of the narratives I bump into all the time in my role as a Saint Paul quasi-public official, vagabond, and blogger is this: there are certain political forces that constrain the limits of what the city can and cannot do. For the issues I care most about -- transportation, housing, quality public space, and economic opportunity for everyone -- I sometimes bump into what are perceived to be the limits of change. Pick a big idea, i.e. getting rid of parking minimums, banning drive-thrus, removing Ayd Mill Road, or even something so seemingly simple as striping a bike lane on a residential street or allowing ADUs to be built city-wide, and you run into folks who will say "that won't work", "the politics are too much," or "there will be too much pushback."  This kind of stance is understandable given how much time staff and elected officials  spend attending heated public hearings where, quite often, small g...

 [Duluth.]  [Duluth.]  [Southeast, Minneapolis.]  [Midway, Saint Paul.]  [Downtown, Saint Paul.]  [Downtown, Saint Paul.] [West Side, Saint Paul.]

 [La Crosse, WI.]  [Wabasha, MN.] [Marquette, IA.]   [Southeast, Minneapolis.]  [Probably Southeast, Minneapolis.]  [Harriet Island, Saint Paul.]  [Harriet Island, Saint Paul.] [East Lake, Minneapolis.]

[A Villager waits at a chow mein restaurant.] [Basically the problem is that the best source of Saint Paul streets & sidewalks news is the Highland Villager, a very fine and historical newspaper. This wouldn't be a problem, except that its not available online. You basically have to live in or frequent Saint Paul to read it. Until this newspaper goes online, sidewalk information must be set free. See also:  Three Reasons Why I Re-Blog the Highland Villager .] Headline: Neighbors push for changes to design of 5-story O�Gara�s project; Public hearing set Aug. 1 on high density rezoning Author: Jane McClure Short short version: The people that own a mixed-use bar and parking lot want to turn it into an apartment building. Neighbors are concerned about noise. [It can�t be noisier than O�Garas was?] �Neighbors are concerned about the mass of the proposed building� [that�s a direct quote not a paraphrase] . There will be a meeting. Traffic and parking are not mentioned. Headline: M...

One of the most critical things I�ve learned about active transportation and street design is that you have to use it to understand it. The 1000� birds-eye view from which most engineers or architects look at a problem does not to justice to the particular demands of creating a walkable space. Similarly, the 40 miles per hour windshield perspective leaves a lot of important factors out of the picture, and many decision-makers that only see projects from behind their steering wheels or peering through an open window. So many important design details are lost. Nothing compares to actual street-level use of a sidewalk. [The Wabasha Bridge and the West Side.] Here�s a great example of what I mean. Way back in the winter of 2015, Ramsey County began tearing down the old county jail built along the bluff at Wabasha and Kellogg Boulevard. It�s a prime spot at the heart of downtown, and the county was hoping to spur interest from developers in building something here. (So far, they�ve had one...

 closed [Location forgotten.] ... BE AT YOUR BACK... ... QUALIZED PEDAL... ... N'T HIT ME. PLEASE... [Metal spinny thing. Seattle, WA.]  SILENCE IS NOT CONSENT [Tree. Seattle, WA.]  VENMO RICH $$$$$$ [Door. Seattle, WA.]  CHIEF SEATTLE NOW  THE  STREETS ARE YOUR HOME [Board. Seattle, WA.]  SERVING THE SURREAL SINCE 1979 [Door. Seattle, WA.]  i had to tap this [Board. Seattle, WA.]  NOW HIRING CASHIER [Location forgotten.] WALK WAY [Near 35E, Saint Paul.]

 [Seattle, WA.]  [Lex-Ham, Saint Paul.]  [Loring Park, Minneapolis.]  [Lowertown, Saint Paul.]  [West Side, Saint Paul.]  [West 7th, Saint Paul.]  [Crystal Court, Minneapolis.] [Vancouver, BC.]