Networked North

networked north penn avenue and west broadway avenue erin garnaas-holmes 05.14.2013 LA 8205

CONTENTS: 3

Context

4

Existing Conditions

5

Planning Principles, Goals and Strategies

6

Design Process

7

Land Use and Circulation

8

Places

10

Interactive Features

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connected north Context

This is a mistake. This option would continue to exclude North Minneapolis from The Metropolitan Council and amenities that it deserves. If the LRT instead ran up Penn Metrotransit are currently Avenue and West Broadway exploring options for a new Light Rail Transit line to run to via the D2 Alignment, it would bring transportation access the Northwest of downtown.

Given three alignment options, and development that North Minneapolis desperately needs. officials and residents have settled on the D1 Alignment, This would address many of the needs the community has which runs along an existing rail line just west of Near North expressed: jobs, increased housing stock, retail amenities, Minneapolis.

North Minneapolis has the highest concentration of low-income residents, unemployment, and African Americans in the Twin Cities. The neighborhoods of North Minneapolis have historically been excluded from improvements to the city and cut off from amenities; there are less parks, no lakes, less access to the Mississippi River, no movie theaters, one grocery store, and few bus

lines that run through North Minneapolis.

PROPOSED LRT ALIGNMENTS

TRANSIT RIDERS

2011 Median Income

Near North is already a community of lowincome, transit-dependent residents, many of whom are unemployed or working in the suburbs of Minneapolis.

A local LRT station could increase mobility (and thus access to jobs) and also spur development in struggling nodes of the region.

UNEMPLOY-

% Unemployment (2010)

“When a transit system allows an unemployed individual to find and keep a job, this can save the Federal Government and the States significant costs by reducing payments for such programs as unemployment compensation, Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and/or Medicaid. And, when an elderly rural resident who is unable to drive uses transit to obtain health services, this promotes preventive health care for rural seniors, thereby keeping down overall health care costs.”

- Dennis Brown, Public Transportation on the Move in Rural America

[People who most need public space are] people who are more time constrained and who live in neighborhoods that are densely populated and less wealthy, with fewer cars and inadequate bike and pedestrian facilities.

Ironically these kinds of communities do not normally have the muscle to get more parks through the political process.”

- Peter Harnik, Urban Green

COMMUTE

Average Commute Time

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increased transit, better public spaces.

North

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3.5 miles

North

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vacancy

Existing Conditions The intersection of West Broadway Avenue and Penn Avenue North is an important transportation nexus of the neighborhood and one of the proposed station locations along the D2 Alignment.

The neighborhood is defined by vacant spaces. The 2011 tornado passed directly through this area, destroying several buildings. Boarded storefronts show that this stretch of West Broadway currently struggles to thrive as the commercial corridor that many neighborhood plans envision.

An LRT station, however, could bring new housing developments and increased commercial activity, both of which have been called for by neighborhood residents. The wide streets and empty lots provide ample space for the train itself and the development it would bring.

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transit dependent population

vacant storefronts

boarded windows

wide roads and vast empty lots

underused back streets

local businesses

local art

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Church Vacant Parking

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90’

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Demolished Retail

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planning principles

goals

strategies

1. Create a vibrant, thriving place at Penn and Broadway.

2. Connect the area to surrounding communities and amenities.

Encourage public engagement

InďŹ ll vacant spaces with business, high density housing and public space

Promote alternative transportation modes

Prioritize local businesses during development

Partner with local artists and organizations

Bring transit into public space

Preserve/enhance business on corners

Link affordable housing

Increase access to nature

Plan for mix of housing types and forms

Interactive public space/ art

Pedestrian malls

Increase pedestrian friendliness

Connect housing+retail to transit

Connect destinations nearby (especially open space)

Paving patterns to delineate circulation and slow trafďŹ c

Clearly marked bicycle lanes

Human-centric signal system

Facilitate movement/passthrough and rest/linger/ stay

Create high-performance infrastructure

Avoid displacement caused by gentriďŹ cation

Ecologically productive public spaces

Parklets

Color

3. Retain local ownership over the space 4. Fit new development into community context.

Networked North proposes a plan that equitably delivers amenities to the neighborhood surrounding West Broadway and Penn Avenue, using the LRT as a catalyst for action and development.

This plan is based on four primary planning principles that frame the goals and strategies of further development in the character and ownership of the local community.

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spaces

Design Process

Proposed blocks

Proposed station

Existing building footprints

By guiding development and construction of new buildings and infrastructure within the goals stated above, the community can create a network of open space, housing and retail surrounding the proposed LRT station.

Preserve corner retail

Preserve open space

Connections to nearby amenities like Theodore Wirth Park can be emphasized.

Connect spaces and destinations

Move LRT station

Repurpose streets

unfortunately shortsighted decision.

The simple gesture of moving the station Network North proposes a fresh look at the station around the corner onto West Broadway and locating it directly next to future businesses, the placement on West Broadway and Penn. Previous Metrotransit proposals showed the station located neighborhood can reclaim the access to the rest on Penn Avenue, in front of what is currently single of the city and economic boost brought by the LRT family homes. This front-yard station plan may have while concentrating transit activity in commercial helped foster the NIMBY community action against hubs and retaining relatively quiet single family the D2 Alignment in previous years, which was an neighborhoods nearby.

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Currently-vacant spaces can be preserved for future public/private open spaces--plazas, parklets, pedestrianways or parks--and prime parcels can be saved for retail use (i.e. corner properties).

InďŹ ll development

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pedestrian street

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parklet

curbless street zones

permeable platform

lrt on penn avenue

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dynamic patterns

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transit plaza

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Existing blocks

public art installations

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connections

Land Use and On-Site Circulation The LRT station would incentivize high density housing, mixed use and infill development nearby. The local community can organize with developers early on to retain certain portions of affordable housing and match architectural styles to community character.

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LAND USE

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Spaces can be reserved for community organizations, artist and local business. Inspired by Juxtaposition Art’s proposed new facility on Broadway, new architecture can also be modern, bright, colorful and alive.

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Retail/Mixed Use Single Family Residential High Density Residential Cultural Institution

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CIRCULATION

A circulation network controlled by lights and paving patterns can be established around the separated train platforms, ensuring pedestrian safety, train efficiency and continued automobile use.

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LRT alignment Pedestrian circulation Bicycle route Automobile traffic

LRT Right-of-way

Car Right-of-way

Pedestrian Right-of-way

networked north // 05.14.2013 // PAGE 7

places

A

A’

B

B’

Plaza, parklet, pass-through Infill development can not only bring new businesses and housing to Penn Ave North and West Broadway Ave, but also define new public spaces. New buildings can frame public spaces and privately-owned public spaces, creating a navigable network of outdoor environments that are friendly to the pedestrian. Bikes and walkers can pass through tree-lined alleys between public right of ways. Transit-riders and neighbors can rest in shaded plazas that are connected to storefronts and the LRT station. The excessively wide streets of West Broadway and Penn can seem shorter if their lanes are reduced to make way for the rails, and if they are lined with activated buildings and spaces.

Clearly marked pedestrian crossings and new street trees can create a seamless and comfortable experience for pedestrians walking through the area.

15’

15’

20’

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C’

15’

13’

10’

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LRT STATION PLAZA

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Mixed Use/ Retail

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Mixed Use/ Retail

10’-25’

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networked north // 05.14.2013 // PAGE 8

places

Plaza, parklet, pass-through North Minneapolis deserves iconic and activated public spaces. Networked North calls for a transitoriented plaza that provides comfortable places to rest, shop, eat, walk, play, and watch. LRT station platforms that blend into public spaces and sidewalk storefronts increase pedestrian access and walkability. Painted pavers and temporary planters direct circulation but encourage permeability across the entire space, between stores, cafes, outdoor seating, and the rest of the city beyond the plaza.

Tree lined streets and shaded plazas provide comfort and a breath of life. Safe playspaces and interactive public art and stormwater technology activate the plaza, demonstrating to passersby and lingering users how they are connected to the broader network of the city around them.

seating steps + stage + storage pezioelectric platforms curbless crossing stormwater runnel extended storefront embedded LEDs stormwater pond playspace iconic community center seating element information hub permeable station platforms

networked north // 05.14.2013 // PAGE 9

illuminated network

Interactive Features

stormwater runnels Inspired by forms of street art, graďŹƒti artists, and computer networks, the lines of colored pavers intersect transparent stormwater runnels and paths of embedded light. The runnels carry stormwater from the entire site into a treatment pond, demonstrating how the infrastructure works while giving people a place to rest. Meanwhile, as people pass over the piezoelectric platforms in the middle of the plaza, power is generated and stored. When enough people have walked, run, biked, jumped, played or danced across the surface, a button at the center of the plaza becomes active. When pressed, light ows from the plaza through the paths and buildings around it, illuminating the connections to the surrounding city and showing the impact that each person can have on his or her surroundings.

LED paths

piezoelectric meter

big button

networked north // 05.14.2013 // PAGE 10

Networked North demonstrates how Light Rail Transit along the D2 Alignment--through North Minneapolis, not around--could become a catalyst for vibrant, community-led development that creates new housing while adding value to existing properties, fosters new businesses while bringing customers to existing ventures, and builds new public space that inspires imagination while providing the simple park amenities like tree-shaded seating. North is home to brilliant artists, business entrepreneurs and concerned families that have much to oer the region: these communities deserve equitable access to the rest of the city, and they deserve thriving, colorful and fun public spaces. networked north // 05.14.2013 // PAGE 11