Twin Cities Streets for People

View Urban renewal in the I-94 corridor in a larger map

There are two buildings near the corner of Rice Street and University Avenue in Saint Paul that are the only remnants of a huge neighborhood bulldozed for urban renewal and the construction of Interstate 94.

Anyone who has followed the Central Corridor light-rail project has heard of Saint Paul's old Rondo neighborhood and how that community was displaced in the 1950s. The story goes that businesses and homes were torn down in the corridor between St. Anthony Avenue and Rondo Avenue (now mostly known as Concordia Avenue) in order to make way for the Interstate. The spectre of Rondo has weighed heavily on planners and transit advocates who don't want to see past mistakes repeated along the Central Corridor line. However, it's clear that many people involved have been unaware of the truly massive scale of what happened in the 1950s and 1960s. For example, did you know that all of the land in the map above had been leveled in the 1950s?

Many buildings outside of that zone were also taken down, but typically in a more fine-grained manner, one or two at a time. But Rondo got painted with a broad brush and saw block upon block torn down. Read more >

Informative video highlights how a well-designed urban roundabout keeps traffic moving (slower is faster) while promoting a sense of place and increasing natural pedestrian crossing movements.

Initially inspired by the concept of PARK(ing) Day, and more recently by the "parklet," pop-up cafes are springing up around the country.  Locally, Bin Wine Bar is trying one out in St. Paul.  

Students tell the story of Milwaukee Avenue in the Seward neighborhood.