Is minneapolis sprawled? (St. Paul, Plymouth, Eagan: hotel, home, neighborhoods)

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by BlackOut

Here is a US sprawl map:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ng...20010701.3.pdf

This map definitely proves the point that the Kansas City metro area has a big sprawl problem.

[Thedosius]

The Twin Cities are moderately sprawled out, I would say. I personally hate sprawl of the sort one sees in Atlanta or LA, but I think that it's nice that our metropolitan area offers people choice between a more urban or a more suburban lifestyle. I think the urban lifestyle will draw more than it has in the past 30 years or so, but I doubt if it will draw more than the suburbs, or even match the suburbs. It probably depends heavily on gas prices, which underscores that global issues can effect very local development patterns. In other words, if India and China continue to develop they way they have been, the core cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul will grow more.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Slig

you outer loopers are screwing up traffic for everyone else

Please. When I lived in the Twin Cities, I both lived and worked outside the 494 loop (lived in Bloomington and Eden Prairie, worked in Eagan), and I generally took side streets to get to work (13 on the south side of the river, not 494).

That situation is not that uncommon.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by Slig

you outer loopers are screwing up traffic for everyone else

Nope...live AND work in the SE outer metro. I don't deal with any traffic to speak of commuting from Hastings to Rosemount. Same thing when I commuted from Hastings to Woodbury...piece of cake.

[Slig]

It's a piece of cake for me too because I bike to work. I'm speaking from a metro-wide perspective. Traffic is very congested on almost every major road going into the city in the morning and going out in the afternoon.

[Minnehahapolitan]

Originally Posted by TimtheGuy

That first line was pretty good.

Ya, there was a short little condo boom (wouldn't want to be a developer holding units right now :-0), but clearly way more people have been choosing to live out in the sprawl that the people inside the loop seem to despise so much.

I'd rather be holding a downtown condo than a vinyl duplex in New Prague.

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by Slig

It's no use comparing our metro area to other ones. Urban sprawl is happening everywhere. The best way to stop it is to stop new construction on the outskirts and instead increase the density of the current metropolitan area. There is enough space in Minneapolis and St. Paul proper to hold another 500,000 people no problem.

Heck, at least a few million more:



(Source: Stewart Johnson, Creative Commons Share-Alike License)

Build 'em, and they'll come, right?

[kuan]

We need sufficient population density to support small business that we seem to love but drive by everytime we need a $2.99 gadget. Imagine a thriving downtown area where you can get your dry cleaning dropped off and delivered, buy extra shoelaces, pick up a loaf of bread, sit down for a coffee and newspaper, and browse for records all in one trip. Imagine a downtown where you, as a small business owner, can practice your craft while making enough money to cover the rent because 1% of the 10,000 people who walk by happen to stop in. Imagine being a kid looking for a first job and being able to leverage your youth to deliver, on bicycle, $80 worth of goods in 15 minutes.

Build it, they will come, build a highway to nowehre, and that nowhere becomes a suburb.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by kuan

We need sufficient population density to support small business that we seem to love but drive by everytime we need a $2.99 gadget. Imagine a thriving downtown area where you can get your dry cleaning dropped off and delivered, buy extra shoelaces, pick up a loaf of bread, sit down for a coffee and newspaper, and browse for records all in one trip. Imagine a downtown where you, as a small business owner, can practice your craft while making enough money to cover the rent because 1% of the 10,000 people who walk by happen to stop in. Imagine being a kid looking for a first job and being able to leverage your youth to deliver, on bicycle, $80 worth of goods in 15 minutes.

Build it, they will come, build a highway to nowehre, and that nowhere becomes a suburb.

Or you could take that highway to any number of suburbs where you can do exactly this already!

[Slig]

Originally Posted by golfgal

Or you could take that highway to any number of suburbs where you can do exactly this already!

BIG BOX STORES AND CHAIN RESTAURANTS FOR ALL!!!! {thundering applause}