Dear 2020 Partners members,

the next meeting is scheduled for:

Tuesday, 17 August, 2010 5-6:30 Environmental Services Building (ESB)

Also, please see article below. This was a true public/private partnership – the Minneapolis Gateway project (the donut hole) was initiated by 2020 Partners, with the concept developed by VJAA, and the Twins and Minnesota Ballpark Authority did the heavy lifting advocating for the proposal to MNDot. We look forward to seeing the MNDot/Oslund proposed scheme!

> Roadside blight at Target Field: A MnDOT landscaping plan expected > this week > > > MinnPost photo by Steve BergOn Wednesday the public will learn what > MnDOT has in mind for this patch of land. > > By Steve Berg | Monday, Aug. 2, 2010 > > Aside from Carl Pavano’s mustache, the only scruffy patch at Target > Field is the plot of weeds and dirt along Interstate 394 just below > the plaza. The “doughnut hole,” as Twins executives call it, looks > particularly forlorn and neglected sitting next to the architectural > splendor of the new baseball emporium. > > For months the team and the Minnesota Ballpark Authority have > pleaded with The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to > spruce up the eyesore, maybe with trees, flowers and ornamental > grasses. “It’s a priority,” said Twins President Dave St. Peter, > whose attention to detail has made Target Field admired around the > country. ESPN magazine named it the nation’s best sports experience. > > MnDOT, better late than never, will present its landscaping plan on > Wednesday. Expectations are modest, given the agency’s meager > finances, its concrete-only culture and the strict federal rules > that govern highway medians. Trees are next to impossible because, > as any road engineer will tell you, drivers might run into them. > > “We asked MnDOT for something simple, maybe a canvas of ornamental > grasses so that when you look down from the plaza there would be > something that appeared to be intentional and not so kind of > indifferent,” said Tom Oslund of Oslund and Associates, the > landscape design firm that designed Target Plaza and advises the > Twins on the doughnut hole question. > > Tom Sorrel, the state’s transportation commissioner, has been > justifiably proud of MnDOT’s contribution to the design and > construction for the ballpark and its multiple transportation > connections. “I can’t tell you how proud we are of this project,” he > said at the plaza’s dedication last March. He should be prouder once > MnDOT turns its blight into bloom. > > Minneapolis declares two-way traffic conversions a success > When Minneapolis city officials decided last year to return two > major downtown streets to two-way auto traffic you would have > thought the world was coming to an end. Predictions of chaos, > gridlock, lost business and crashes filled the air. > > The city plunged ahead with its plans to convert Hennepin and First > avenues for a good reason: Downtown needs to start feeling and > functioning as a 24-hour community, not just as a funnel for workers > hoping to get in and out as quickly as possible. Especially with the > opening of Target Field, the city wanted to reintroduce itself to > fans as a place to linger, dine and shop, rather than flee to the > suburbs as quickly as possible. So far, so good. > > > MinnPost photo by Steve BergThe new bike lanes and parking > configuration on First Avenue remain controversial, but 96 percent > of vehicles are parking correctly, a new report says. > > A Public Works report issued last week showed positive results for > the project’s first six months. Auto traffic on the two streets is > up is up 2.1 percent (up nearly 7 percent on Hennepin and down 4 > percent on First). Chronically congested intersections have been > reduced from four to two. Bicycle traffic (including new bike > traffic on Nicollet Mall) is up 43 percent. Crashes are down 8 > percent. The new Amsterdam-style bike lanes and parking > configuration on First Avenue remain controversial. But 96 percent > of vehicles are parking correctly. > > There will be modifications in the coming weeks. A number of lost > parking spaces along First will be restored — good news for > complaining merchants. And street markings and better signs will > clarify that Hennepin’s right lanes are to be shared among buses, > bikes and turning cars. > > Still, City Hall has declared victory. “There were a lot of dire > predictions and we took a leap of faith in doing this, hoping it > would be better,” said Council Member Betsy Hodges of the 13th Ward. > “And now the numbers bear that out.” > > The conversion is part of a broader “access plan” emphasizing > transit, biking and walkability as part of the downtown experience. > Now, if the economy improves, it will be up to the private sector to > put housing and jobs on all those unsightly surface parking lots > that still dominate much of downtown. The city is in a holding > pattern, hoping that its work will pay off. > > > Dave St. Peter > President, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club > Target Field > 1 Twins Way > Minneapolis, MN 55403 > Direct: 612-659-3406 > Cell: 612-366-0430 > > > > > IRS CIRCULAR 230 DISCLOSURE: Any advice contained in this message > (including any attachments) was not intended or written to be used, > and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of (i) avoiding > penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer or (ii) supporting the > promotion or marketing of the transaction(s) or matter(s) addressed > in this email. Each taxpayer should seek advice based on the > taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. > > > NOTE: The information in this email is confidential and may be > legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, we > request that you (i) not read, use or disseminate the information, > (ii) advise the sender immediately by reply email and (iii) delete > this message and any attachments without retaining a copy. Although > this email and any attachments are believed to be free of any virus > or other defect that may affect any computer system into which it is > received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to > ensure that it is virus free and no responsibility is accepted by > Kaplan, Strangis and Kaplan, P.A. for any loss or damage arising in > any way from its use.

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

A change in how the Fed’s are doing business – a more comprehensive integrated approach to city building. > > > Monday, June 21, 2010 > DOT No. 122-10 > DOT Contact: Olivia Alair > 202-366-4570 > > HUD No. 10-131 > HUD Contact: Andrea Mead > 202-708-0685 > > > > USDOT and HUD Launch Groundbreaking, Collaborative Effort to Create > Sustainable, Livable Communities > > Joint Effort Combines DOT TIGER II and HUD Sustainable Community > Challenge Grant Investments > > U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Housing and Urban > Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced a groundbreaking > collaborative effort designed to help foster planning for more > livable, sustainable communities – places where transportation, > housing and commercial development investments are coordinated to > better serve the people living in those communities. > > Together, the U.S. Departments of Transportation (DOT) and Housing > and Urban Development (HUD), for the first time ever, will join > forces to award up to $75 million in funding – $35 million in TIGER > (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) II Planning > Grants and $40 million in Sustainable Community Challenge Grants for > localized planning activities that ultimately lead to projects that > integrate transportation, housing and economic development. > > “This joint effort by DOT and HUD is a giant step toward improved > coordination at the state, federal and local levels and reinforces > the Obama Administration’s commitment to finding better ways to make > government work for people,” said Vice President Joe Biden. > “Together, their investments will strengthen communities by > connecting housing and transportation options, increasing economic > opportunities, promoting environmental sustainability and improving > their overall quality of life.” > > “This is another example of the Obama Administration giving the > American taxpayer a bigger bang for the buck. The winners will be > the people who live in communities and have access to travel options > that better serve them,” said Secretary LaHood. > > “This partnership demonstrates President Obama’s commitment to > changing the way the federal government operates by breaking down > silos and making smarter investments,” said Secretary Donovan. “This > is the first time HUD and DOT have worked together to develop a > joint grant program. For the first time, federal agencies are truly > collaborating with each other to make government work better and > build the kinds of communities where families can prosper.” > > The new program builds on the Partnership for Sustainable > Communities, an innovative new interagency collaboration, launched > by President Obama in June 2009, between the Department of > Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban > Development (HUD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). > Guided by six Livability Principles, the Partnership is designed to > remove the traditional federal government silos that exist between > departments and strategically target the agencies’ transportation, > land use, environmental, housing and community development resources > to provide communities the resources they need to build more > livable, sustainable communities. > > TIGER II Planning Grants may be used to plan, prepare or design > surface transportation projects that would be eligible for funding > under the TIGER II Discretionary Grant program. These projects > include highways, bridges, transit, railways, ports or bicycle and > pedestrian facilities. > > HUD’s Sustainable Communities funding will target urban and > community planning projects that foster reform and reduce barriers > to achieving affordable, economically vital and sustainable > communities. Such efforts may include amending or replacing local > master plans, zoning codes, and building codes either on a > jurisdiction-wide basis or in a specific neighborhood or sector to > promote mixed-use development, affordable housing and the re-use of > older buildings for new purposes with the goal of promoting > sustainability at the local level. > > These activities, when done in conjunction with transportation > projects, can greatly increase the efficiency and effectiveness > local transportation, and access to it, while encouraging mixed-use > or transit-oriented development. The program will encourage and > reward areas that are planning more innovative projects that > coordinate housing, economic development and transportation > investments. > > There are a variety of projects that may include component parts > that fall under both the DOT TIGER II Planning Grants and the HUD > Sustainable Community Challenge Grants. Rather than have applicants > proceed through two separate grant application procedures that might > be on different timelines and with different requirements, this > joint notice of funding availability (NOFA) is intended to create > one point of entry to federal resources. > > Examples could include the following: > > • Planning activities that support the development of affordable > housing near transportation through the adoption of inclusionary > zoning ordinances and other activities such as acquisition of land > for affordable housing projects. > > • Preparing or amending local codes and ordinances that prevent the > private sector from developing neighborhoods more sustainably and > inclusively, with housing located near transportation and retail. > > • Planning activities related to the development of a particular > transportation corridor or regional transportation system that > promotes mixed-use or transit-oriented development with an > affordable housing component. > > • Planning activities related to the development of a freight > corridor that seeks to reduce conflicts with residential areas and > with passenger and non-motorized traffic. In this type of project, > DOT might fund the transportation planning activities along the > corridor, and HUD might fund changes in the zoning code to support > appropriate siting of freight facilities and route the freight > traffic around town centers, residential areas and schools. > > • Developing expanded public transportation options, including > accessible public transportation and para-transit services for > individuals with disabilities, to allow individuals to live in > diverse, high opportunity communities and to commute to areas with > employment and educational opportunities. > > Under this innovative program, DOT and HUD will make joint awards, > where appropriate, as well as individual TIGER II planning grants > and HUD Sustainable Community Challenge Grants. > > The $35 million for TIGER II planning grants announced today comes > from the $600 million in TIGER II grants announced by Secretary > LaHood on May 28. The $40 million in HUD Sustainable Community > Challenge Grant funding is part of $200 million in funding approved > by congress in HUD’s FY2010 budget to launch the first ever Office > of Sustainable Housing and Communities. > > Pre-applications are due 30 days from the publication of the Notice > of Funding Availability in the Federal Register. Full applications > are due on August 23. State and local governments, including U.S. > territories, tribal governments, transit agencies, port authorities > and others, are eligible to apply for funding. For more information > on how to apply, please review the notice of funding availability > (NOFA) go to: > > http://www.dot.gov/livability/source/FINAL%20Joint%20Planning%20NOFA%20061810.pdf > > ### > > HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive > communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to > strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect > consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: > utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build > inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and > transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and > its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and > espanol.hud.gov. > > > > > > Briefing Room > > >

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

FYI – in the interest of city building – the second lecture in the Next Generation of Parks series is tomorrow night.

Robert Hammond will be speaking about The High Line in New York City – Wednesday, June 16, 7PM, Walker Art Center McGuire Theater.

Also, check out this article about The High Line – a $150 million investment by the city reaped $5 Billion in private investment plus a new museum!

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aq.l988k3gOI&refer=muse

Mary

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

Check out the editorial in the Star Tribune today about the transit hub proposals for both Mpls and St. Paul.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/95657549.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:UthPacyPE7iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

FYI – since we are all interested or employed in the business of city building – and care about our parks – I thought you might be interested in The Next Generation of Parks lecture series! Jamie Dean, speaking about London’s Green Grid, will be here Thursday Night, 7PM at the Humphrey Institute. I hope you can make it – it will be a fantastic lecture. MdL

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

Design_NextGenParks_Print_Back.pdf Design_NextGenParks_Print_Front.pdf

Please check out the link below – VJAA architects, who applied their amazing problem solving expertise and communication skills to the work shop presentation made to the 2020 Partners general membership on Tuesday – are being heralded as the largest award winning firm in the US, beating out all the big national firms.

>> http://www.architectmagazine.com/business/award-winning.aspx

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

A terrific NY Times article on waste to energy – once again confirming that HERC is the at the fore – describing how and why it is so popular in Europe and not in the US.

www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/earth/13trash.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

Dear 2020 Partners,

It is confirmed – we are now 2020 Partners, thanks to Nick Koch and his moment of inspiration! In celebration, we are kicking off the new 2020 Partners website – www.the2020partners.com – it is a work in progress, we are still missing a couple of logos, and some editing needs to be done, BUT, if you wouldn’t mind reviewing it and if you see any glaring omissions or errors, please contact me.

A coincidence but fortuitous none the less, an article in Minn Post today discusses development around the new Target Field, quoting many of our members, and concludes with a reference to 2020 Partners and our new name. http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2010/04/09/17249/target_field_economic_impact_is_years_–_and_dreams_–_away

Happy reading,

Mary

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

An interesting short article with a few basic points about design and transportation:

Midwestern cities need to pursue a more differentiated strategy that recognizes key trends like globalization, the rise of niche markets, high quality, and the importance of design.

This is where aesthetics in transportation really comes in. The Midwest does not have mountains or an ocean or perfect weather all the time. So its built environment plays a critical role in the overall perception that people have of it. It also has to play a role in making people want to live there.

If done right, making it look good doesn’t have to cost a lot of extra money. We have to keep two decisions firmly separate in our minds: what do we want? and how can we get that most cost effectively? It can be the case that we have to compromise on what we want in order to live within what we can afford, but let’s make that choice consciously, not by default.

The Urbanophile: Replay: The Importance of Aesthetics in Transportation Facility Design

Replay: The Importance of Aesthetics in Transportation Facility Design Posted: 19 Mar 2010 10:48 AM PDT As I sat down to write a review of INDOT’s nice 46th St. bridge replacement project in Indianapolis, it occurred to me that a sort of prologue was in order. I often talk about the importance of aesthetics and design identity in roadway design, but have to date not justified why that is something we should care about.

I argue that there are national and regional trends that lead to this, especially in a Midwestern city. These cluster in three groups:

1. Trends in international economics and culture 2. Transformation of the public square in American life 3. Unique Midwestern challenges As to the first point, we see a number of trends converging. Firstly is the rise of offshore economic production and domestic productivity increases, which have decimated the Midwestern manufacturing base and threaten to bring similar changes to the service sector. This might not seem on the surface to have much to do with transportation aesthetics, but it does. Previously, Midwestern states could rely on participating in a sort of commodity market for manufacturing jobs within a dominant region in a dominant country. That is, the most important determinants of factory location were access to labor and other manufacturers and the cost of doing business. This leads to a strategy of focusing purely on functional efficiency and minimizing cost. The problem is, in a commodity market, the low cost producer wins, and in a global economy with third world labor at pennies per hour and nearly ubiquitous low-cost transportation, the Midwest will never be a low cost producer again, no matter how much cost cutting they do on highway design. This means a more differentiated strategy needs to be pursued.

We also see cultural trends heading this direction. Witness the decline of a homogenized national experience in favor of more specialty, high quality products. Fifteen years ago, Hoosiers got their coffee from the $0.69 bottomless cup at Waffle House. Today they suck down so many $4 lattes that your find Starbucks outlets at interstate highway exits next to the truck stop and Starbucks even put its Midwest headquarters in Indianapolis. In the 1980’s you had your choice of three beers: Miller, Bud, and Coors. Today, the quality and quantity of beers available in even small markets is nothing short of astonishing. There used to be three major TV networks everyone watched. Today there are hundreds of specialized cable networks. If you wanted a good meal in the Midwest, it wasn’t too long ago that you had to hope you were fortunate enough to live in Chicago. Today, virtually every city has a variety of high quality restaurants.

Beyond the general quality explosion and niche markets, we also see the rise of design for its own sake. Today, every product is so sophisticated that it becomes difficult to separate DVD players, etc. based purely on technical criteria. Every new release of Microsoft Word only adds even more new features most users will ever need or care about. What is becoming more and more important is that products simply look cool. The best example of this might be the iPod, which even today is not the most advanced music player on the market. While Apple clearly got the value proposition right, the design of this product played a huge role in its popularity. Starbucks is known as much for the design of their stores as for the actual quality of the coffee. In short, design matters. And the importance of design will only continue to increase over time. This has been well-documented, for example in books like Virginia Postrel’s “The Substance of Style”. (Postrel has a new web publication called Deep Glamour you may want to check out).

To sum up, Midwestern cities cannot rely on traditional commodity approaches in today’s world. Rather, they need to pursue a more differentiated strategy that recognizes key trends like globalization, the rise of niche markets, high quality, and the importance of design.

Beyond these trends, the post-war transformation of American living patterns has changed the entire nature of the public square and the public experience, though this is often unrecognized. Our interstates and primary arteries are our new “Main Streets”. They are our true public spaces and shared experience. The only impression many people will ever have of a place is driving through it on the freeway. What type of impression does your town want to leave? Cities and towns invest millions in aesthetic improvements in their downtowns, downtowns that increasingly are not the locations that shape people’s perception of a place. Too often the places people predominantly see are neglected. This is where aesthetics is really key.

The Midwest also has a particular problem attracting the talent needed to compete in the 21st century economy in most places. Natives get their degrees and leave, and there isn’t enough inflow from elsewhere to make up the difference. This is a result of yet another trend: the mobility of people in our modern society. In today’s world it is as true that jobs follow people as it is that people follow jobs. One reason you see comparatively few life sciences and high technology jobs in the Midwest is the lack of a skilled labor force. The answer is not just to try to lure jobs, but also to try to lure the people.

This is where aesthetics in transportation really comes in. Why is this? The Midwest does not have mountains or an ocean or perfect weather all the time. So its built environment plays a critical role in the overall perception that people have of it. It also has to play a role in making people want to live there.

That’s the key. Cities need to make people want to live in them. As I’ve argued before, no one who is bright, ambitious, and has big plans for themselves will want to live in a place where good enough is good enough. The new economy labor force is going to migrate to places where the civic ambition matches their personal ambition. I believe there is no greater marker of the civic ambition of a place than the design of public spaces and buildings, and transportation facilities are the public space par excellence in our modern society.

Consider Wal-Mart. They understand that design and aesthetics say something important about what they are all about as a company. Wal- Mart could easily afford to make their stores look better. But they don’t. Why? It isn’t just to save money. Rather, they are doing it to send a powerful message to their customer that they don’t care about anything but rock bottom prices. This works for Wal-Mart because that design identity fits with who they are as a company. And fortunately for them, they are the low cost producer in a commodity market, hence their enormous success as a company.

But what if your town is giving off a Wal-Mart vibe but is still far from being a low cost provider, particularly when overseas competition is factored in? That’s the place all too many Midwestern towns can find themselves in. And that’s why designing high quality projects that also provide a sense of design identity for a place is so important.

By the way, this does not necessarily involve spending huge sums of money. For example, I highlighted 15 Quick, Easy, and Cheap Ways to Make a Big Urban Design Impact in Indianapolis in my Pecha Kucha presentation. I believe that if done right, making it look good doesn’t have to cost a lot of extra money. We have to keep two decisions firmly separate in our minds: what do we want? and how can we get that most cost effectively? It can be the case that we have to compromise on what we want in order to live within what we can afford, but let’s make that choice consciously, not by default.

This post originally ran on February 24, 2008.

Mary deLaittre Groundwork groundworkcitybuilding.com 612.242.6286

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Dear 2010 Partners Members,

Just as 2010 Partners promotes collaboration (and a comprehensive integrated approach) as critical to the process of city building, so too does the FTA – please click on their newly launched website to see what their new partnerships with HUD and the EPA will be, all in an effort to create a more well-rounded approach to creating communities.

http://www.fta.dot.gov/news/news_events_11183.html

Also check out the attached article about Eco Districts, brought to our attention by David Frank. What is interesting about the article is the criteria for an eco- district – of which we meet/will meet three of the four – on-site energy generation (HERC waste to energy), district heating (and cooling – also HERC) and transit.

Finally, don’t forget to submit your ideas for a new name for 2010 Partners and an available domain name. Submissions due by Wednesday, 10 March – we have already had many good submissions!