Twin Cities - 16th largest metro area in the Country, can you feel it? (Minneapolis: home, neighborhoods)

[mnduck]

Originally Posted by ThisIsAMinneapolitan

I agree. I hate the sight of an empty parking lot in Minneapolis. And I hate huge ugly shopping centers. If a home depot ever crosses the city limits, you better believe were making that thing move right up to the sidewalk. Density rocks.

Sorry, have to do this....

Home Depot, Minneapolis MN

[fashionguy]

"Very few central cities have shopping malls and in case you haven't noticed, there are plenty of shopping malls in our inner-ring suburbs. Let the suburbs have them and their huge parking lots."

Shopping malls can be urban. Building the malls inside city limits would make them urban looking. Why would I think a lot of parking lots would make Twin Cities more like it is the 16th largest metro area? The problem with Twin Cities is they are not dense enough, not that they are too dense. If Nicollet Mall has 100 stores, then it can be considered a shopping mall, whether it has a roof or not. Currently it has 10 or 20.

Good examples include downtowns of Portland, San Francisco, Boston, San Diego, Beverley Hills area of LA, etc. People would think a city like Atlanta is very sprawled. However, the Buckhead area, around the city's premier shopping center, is actually pretty dense and almost became the city's second skyline, and currently Buckhead is still within Atlanta's city limits. If downtown of Minneapolis doesn't work, something like a second skyline would also boost up its big city feel to some extent.

This is just for the sake of discussion of the city feel though. With the current situation, of course it is silly to build or expand any shopping mall.

Originally Posted by BlackOut

I suggest you get out an travel to some of those metro areas and their central cities that rank between 17th and 30th in population size. Overall, Minneapolis and its metro has much more to offer than most
areas listed below it.



That's not necessarily true because if there is demand, developments will be built. It has to do more with the mindset people have here. The Twin Cities could sprawl to Duluth, Eau Claire, Rochester, and St. Cloud because people are willing to commute and want the large home with a big back yard.



Very few central cities have shopping malls and in case you haven't noticed, there are plenty of shopping malls in our inner-ring suburbs. Let the suburbs have them and their huge parking lots.



This is how it is throughout the country. Companies, large and small, build in the burbs because it's cheap and there is plenty of land to build and expand upon. Central cities attract financial firms (i.e. US Bank, Ameriprise, Thrivent Financial, Well Fargo, etc...), law firms, accounting firms, marketing firms, public relations, etc...

[MplsTodd]

Originally Posted by fashionguy

If Nicollet Mall has 100 stores, then it can be considered a shopping mall, whether it has a roof or not. Currently it has 10 or 20.

While I agree with you that downtown Mpls doesn't rank with Portland, Boston, Seattle, Philly, Chicago, San Fran and NYC, I think it compares very favorably with most other cities, especially given its close proximity to the Mall of America.
I think you can legitimately call all of the downtown core a shopping mall, given that it is all connected via skyway. There's certainly more than 10 or 20 stores within one block of Nicollet Mall--even if you use the narrowest definition of store (excluding florists and convenience marts etc, as well as all the restaurants).
There's over 1.0 million square feet of retail space in downtown if you just include Macys, Target, Saks Off Fifth, Niemans, plus the big boxes (Barnes & Noble, Marshalls,Office Depot). There's also independant shops scattered around--you need to know where they are (eg the tea shop and Ellsworth Mens Clothing in Highland Bank Bldg, or the custom shirt maker in International Center, National Camera at 10th & Hennepin, HW White in IDS Ctr etc...).

[ThisIsAMinneapolitan]

Originally Posted by mnduck

Sorry, have to do this....

Home Depot, Minneapolis MN

Thats how they do it in Chicago. It saves a lot of space. Underground parking lots is where its at. Heres a picture of one. http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/archiv...me%20depot.jpg

[Milwaukee City]

The first trip I made to the twin cities I knew they had a million more people than the milwaukee area but the first comment I made was "I know I'm in a big city but it just doesn't feel like it". I have talked to other people from the twin cites and they have mentioned the same thing. The twin cities just don't have that big city feel unless your downtown. The fact that this topic is out here kind of proves it. There is a ton of trees, and it just doesn't have that urban grit feel. Where in Milwaukee on every busy street is buildings at least 2-5 stories high even far out in the city. We don't have a lot of houses on our busy streets. I feel like the twin cities are just one giant madison or suburb. I really enjoyed my time in the twin cities but I felt like I was in Columbus oh than twin cities 3 million +.

[Milwaukee City]

everything in the twin cities seems very spread out with parking lots and green areas which makes it very nice to look at but you don't get that big city feel.

[ZenArcade]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

The first trip I made to the twin cities I knew they had a million more people than the milwaukee area but the first comment I made was "I know I'm in a big city but it just doesn't feel like it". I have talked to other people from the twin cites and they have mentioned the same thing. The twin cities just don't have that big city feel unless your downtown. The fact that this topic is out here kind of proves it. There is a ton of trees, and it just doesn't have that urban grit feel. Where in Milwaukee on every busy street is buildings at least 2-5 stories high even far out in the city. We don't have a lot of houses on our busy streets. I feel like the twin cities are just one giant madison or suburb. I really enjoyed my time in the twin cities but I felt like I was in Columbus oh than twin cities 3 million +.

One big suburb? You clearly have not spent much time in Minneapolis. You can still have trees and have a "big city" feel, and Minneapolis is just that. It combines both a thriving, vibrant city life, with great parks, bike trails, and lakes, offering the best of both worlds.

Minneapolis has much more of a urban "big city" feel than Milwaukee I might add. Unless you spent all of your time over in Saint Paul, because I can't imagine anyone thinking the TC doesn't feel like a "big city". Just my opinion I guess.

[Milwaukee City]

I can't imagine anyone thinking the TC doesn't feel like a "big city". Just my opinion I guess.

Hey Pal! Haven't you read the title of this thread and the other 16 post talking about this very idea. The fact that I have heard this from native people from TC and this thread talks about it kind duh proves that this is somewhat of an issue. Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks this since there is a thread about it. I think being so close to Chicago helps Milwaukee feel like a bigger city than it is. They are widening I94 all the way down to Chicago from the south side of Milwaukee to 4/5 lanes on each side. I think that speaks to the truth that the Gary-Chicago-Milwaukee corridor region is an area to recognize.



13 million +

[DaPerpKazoo]

Is this a TC vs. Milwaukee thread or a TC thread? Didn't think so.

[fashionguy]

The right position of Twin Cities is around 30th. The right position of Milwaukee is around 40th, the same as what its population suggests. The cities that feel larger than Twin Cities yet have smaller populations certainly don't come from Midwest. In Midwest, the "big city feel" largely correlates with the population of the metro areas, but the styles are different between the coasts and the Midwest.

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

Hey Pal! Haven't you read the title of this thread and the other 16 post talking about this very idea. The fact that I have heard this from native people from TC and this thread talks about it kind duh proves that this is somewhat of an issue. Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks this since there is a thread about it. I think being so close to Chicago helps Milwaukee feel like a bigger city than it is. They are widening I94 all the way down to Chicago from the south side of Milwaukee to 4/5 lanes on each side. I think that speaks to the truth that the Gary-Chicago-Milwaukee corridor region is an area to recognize.



13 million +