Author: admin
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Overheard in Minneapolis
One might think that the Midwest is full of white, blond, Scandinavian and Germanic people who talk funny. That is mostly true, but also you’ll find the most peculiar and distinct perspectives and backgrounds, shaped by their homogeneity. This is a snippet of the many overheards I’ve encountered while simply being out and about in…
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San Francisco’s Terrible Bicycle Lanes
Coming from Minneapolis, once crowned by Bicycle magazine as America’s forward-thinking bicycle city, I am a little bit biased when it comes to bicycling infrastructure. In fact my Master’s capstone team thesis (co-wrote with some lovely planners including @AmbroseManor) was critical on Minneapolis’ testing of bicycle turning boxes–at the time some of the nations’ first…
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Interactions: The Northwesterman
Today is the first in an ongoing series in which I will post little snippets of my actual life which by its unique, bizarre or darkly humorous quality deserves some mention for posterity (or a novel). On a small flight from Seattle to Portland, a man in his early 30s across the aisle shared that…
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Nicollet Mall is Not the Destination
The announcement of architect James Corner to work on the Nicollet Mall redesign finally signals the city’s movement on upgrading the aging city centerpiece. Minneapolis has discussed replacing Nicollet Mall for quite some time mostly due to its crumbling condition. The rectangular fountains which I once enjoyed as a child are no longer. The colorful…
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Hong Kong’s Hyperdensity
Having returned from a month-long stay with family in Hong Kong, I was intrigued to find Proto City writing about the city. Writer Adam Nowek praises Hong Kong’s dense urban infrastructure in Hyperdense: High-Density Architecture in Hong Kong. From a Western outsider view, Hong Kong seems to be the pinnacle of urbanist pursuits of lively,…
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The Future of Power in Cities
Reflections on the Tour of the Riverside Power Plant in Northeast Minneapolis The initial impression of the factory was a feeling of doom. As we passed Suzy’s I thought the last time I was here I was up to no good with a bunch of friends. I had no idea a few blocks down coal…