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Information and Inspiration

Mary deLaittre — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:07:54 +0000

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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!

Miami transportation proposal

Mary deLaittre — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:29:55 +0000

Yet another interesting winning design for a train station – this one is in Miami – selection was through a design competition.

Ambitious Downtown Transit Project – SAN FRANCISCO

Mary deLaittre — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:29:22 +0000

Check out this article from the NY Times about what San Francisco is planning for its new transit station and neighborhood: The project, designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects of New Haven, could ultimately be a signature structure in a carbon-sensitive city that professes devotion to public transportation. Cesar Pelli, the project’s lead architect since his firm won a design competition in 2007, calls the central office tower aesthetic “elegant and simple.” But Mr. Pelli said his firm left “the exuberance of the design for the transit center, which is meant to be an extraordinary public facility.” Drawings of the new bus and train station show a light-drenched, multilevel glass structure that will span five blocks, from Second to Main Street. A transparent roof will provide broad visibility to the leafy park above, which is meant to serve as a sort of urban retreat and amphitheater. Planners say the terminal, scheduled for completion in 2015, will serve 45 million passengers a year, eliminate 8,000 automobile trips daily, and offer a mass-transit link between San Francisco to Silicon Valley, the other economic engine in the Bay Area.

Great Transit Hub in Detroit

Mary deLaittre — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:15:41 +0000

Please find attached a wonderful article – with lots of pictures – from Metropolis Magazine of the new multi-modal transit hub in Detroit. Some particulars: 25,000 s.f, $22.5 million, funded by FTA, Michigan DOT and land donated by City, architect – Tushar Advani of Parsons Brinkerhoff. The goal of the hub was not purely functional but also to create an iconic building that is a destination and serves as a catalyst to develop the neighborhood and further connect surrounding urban uses – both and architecture AND urban design exercise. Because of Detroit’s 4 season climate they have outdoor/indoor waiting areas – with the indoor area designed as a plaza that includes shops and cafes. It is quite an inspiration as well as great description of how these projects are realized.

detroit article.pdf

The Next Generation of Parks

Mary deLaittre — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:32:05 +0000

Our latest project – The Next Generation of Parks – working with the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, Walker Art Center and U of M College of Design on a design competition to re-evaluate the current park system within the context of infrastructure, public space and sustainability.

COBE Architects’ Winning Design

Mary deLaittre — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:28:33 +0000

Check out Copenhagen’s winning train station design!

Transportation Interchange Inspiration

Mary deLaittre — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:26:46 +0000

A bit of inspiration as we contemplate our own Minneapolis transportation interchange.

Creating a New Transportation Interchange

Mary deLaittre — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:21:25 +0000

Working with Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, we helped create a print and visual piece advocating for the new Minneapolis Transportation Interchange. For a full copy contact kathryn.hatt@co.hennepin.mn.us.

Gateway to Minneapolis

Mary deLaittre — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:14:16 +0000

VJAA created this proposal for the Gateway to Minneapolis, a 2010 Partners sponsored project – a combination remediation, integration and inspiration for a very complex area including a highway trench.

In the News

Mary deLaittre — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:53:10 +0000

Check out this article in today’s Star Tribune (originally from the Walls Street Journal) about waste to energy, featuring Covanta Energy.

And look at this slide show, and most specifically image 4, which features our own Metrodome LRT stop/plaza as one of 10 great international examples of Public Art integrated into the urban landscape – featured in Urban Land Institutes Urban Land magazine – and pays tribute to artist Andrew Leicester, HGA Architects and Metro Transit.