Kenwood neighborhood named one of 30 "best places" in America by American Planning Association (Minneapolis: 2013, rental)

[pete6032]

Great Places in America

APA's flagship program celebrates places of exemplary character, quality, and planning. Places are selected annually and represent the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and a vision for tomorrow.



APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live. They are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. They are places where people want to be — not only to visit, but to live and work every day. America's truly great streets, neighborhoods and public spaces are defined by many criteria, including architectural features, accessibility, functionality, and community involvement.

Reminiscent of a sleepy rural hamlet but with decidedly more urbane architecture and scenic vistas, Kenwood Addition is both engaging and engaged. Its residents have a deep appreciation of their neighborhood's history and assets and just as strong a desire to honor and protect them.

Great Places in America: Neighborhoods


Discuss. Is Kenwood deserving of one of the top 30 places, yay or nay?

[rzzz]

Kenwood is pretty nice. I'd say it's the best residential neighborhood in Minneapolis. It's a lot different than some of the others on the neighborhood list, though. It's almost completely residential and very small. In contrast, SF Chinatown is a very dense, urban commercial area with 100K people, compared to Kenwood's 1000.

[Chain of Lakes]

I'm sure someone on this site will find kenwood "seedy"

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by rzzz

Kenwood is pretty nice. I'd say it's the best residential neighborhood in Minneapolis. It's a lot different than some of the others on the neighborhood list, though. It's almost completely residential and very small. In contrast, SF Chinatown is a very dense, urban commercial area with 100K people, compared to Kenwood's 1000.

Does anyone think that Linden Hills deserves mention there, too. The neighborhood is along both Lakes Calhoun and Harriett. There is the Harriett Bandshell Concert series in the summer. I think the stores and restaurants are more numerous and better. Kenwood has more impressive homes/mansions, though. I think the architecture criteria is high on this particular list (perhaps the only criteria in fact). If other factors were included, I could see Linden Hills being mentioned. Is anyone surprised by Mason City, Iowa's inclusion? I certainly was.

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by pete6032

Great Places in America







Great Places in America: Neighborhoods


Discuss. Is Kenwood deserving of one of the top 30 places, yay or nay?

Yes, I can agree with top 30 for the Kenwood neighborhood. If it were top 10, I would say no.

[manbylake]

Originally Posted by Chain of Lakes

I'm sure someone on this site will find kenwood "seedy"

Give me a break. You think I really would think Kenwood is "seedy"? Kenwood is a world away from the commercial and rental centers south of it. What's charming about these areas is that they are so close and yet so away.

But I would vote for Linden Hills.

[pete6032]

Originally Posted by Chain of Lakes

I'm sure someone on this site will find kenwood "seedy"

Aww come on just tell us who you're referring to.

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

"Its residents have a deep appreciation of their neighborhood's history and assets and just as strong a desire to honor and protect them."

That's an understatement, considering their involvement lately with the Southwest Corridor alignment!!

[Min-Chi-Cbus]

Originally Posted by chessgeek

Does anyone think that Linden Hills deserves mention there, too. The neighborhood is along both Lakes Calhoun and Harriett. There is the Harriett Bandshell Concert series in the summer. I think the stores and restaurants are more numerous and better. Kenwood has more impressive homes/mansions, though. I think the architecture criteria is high on this particular list (perhaps the only criteria in fact). If other factors were included, I could see Linden Hills being mentioned. Is anyone surprised by Mason City, Iowa's inclusion? I certainly was.

I don't even know why Kenwood was mentioned, as I don't know it as anything other than a fairly secluded nabe with little in the way of retail or destinations, but I would probably vote Linden Hills myself if I had to choose a Minneapolis neighborhood. It's what *most* **White** Americans over the age of 30 with or without children seeking a compromise between urban living and suburban standards would prefer!


*don't take that word too literally!
**based solely on its current demographics, not the wants/desires of all people

[Chain of Lakes]

From a walkable perspective, I would say Kenwood is pretty isolated to the west and northwest of lake of the Isles. East isles and Lowry hill are two really, really nice neighborhoods with many of the same types of houses as Kenwood (i.e. mansions), they are next to lake and have similar demographics. However, in East Isles (and even Lowry Hill), one can walk to everything, including grocery stores, restaurants and the seedy parts of Uptown.

Linden Hills is fantastic.....but I also find this to be limiting with really only one business node.