Midtown Greenway





















It is still a place that is becoming
Resilient
Very clear space/form
Classic prominent public realm
Iconic
Yeh – Midtown!
Most democratic open space
Great connectivity and generator of investment
Generated development
Used by broad range of people
Unique design and context
Connected
Distinctive
Public
If I am not at the Saint Paul Farmers Market on Saturday morning it’s because I am
biking on the Greenway, but it is best described as a throughway not a place
Great space – unparalleled in stimulating development
Great connector
Interesting pockets along its route
Active
Great reuse and development catalyst
It really has transformed MANY people’s ways of being in the city, and has MADE places,
significantly and sensibly, for the widest range of people
Wirth Beach























Resilient
Diverse
Very strong social gathering
Sustaining community asset
Family-oriented
Strong new investment
Big improvement
Wonderful reinvestment in a premier park
Providing a safe connection to water on the North Side
Would love to see a food component and bike/ped/bus connection
Great land forms
Access to a range of neighborhoods
Beachwalk is nice element
Accessible
Well-programmed
Well-maintained
Truly public feeling
Very well done
Great re-do
Historic site
Multi-modally accessible and connected
Good water quality enhancements
Significant improvements that make the lake and grounds much more accessible
and visible
 This was one of the only submissions that deals with the crucial race-place
challenges of our region! I would love to see them celebrated explicitly in
relation to Juneteenth with the encouragement to re-engage the communities
who use this space!
St. Paul Farmers Market



















Permanent
Flexible
Social/cultural context of community
A “Great Place” all seasons
A Great Place on Saturday and Sunday!
Institution of community gathering
Draws diversity of people
Supports regional growers
Train shed roof
Design encourages the activity to feel energizing
Nice boundaries/context
Very accessible but crowded
This is one of my favorite places in the Cities, on weekends. But weekdays it is
just a parking lot
Great space – unparelled in stimulating development
Nice at market times – not nice as a parking lot (most of the time)
Wonderful sheds
Great diversity and activity when open, not so great used when closed
This would get full points from me if it was not a parking lot 5/7 of the time – it’s
one of the few places I see people from many social backgrounds interacting
I liked the idea we discussed that it makes people more aware of their situation
in relation to the larger space of places by featuring food from only a 60-mile
radius (or whatever it is now)
IDS Crystal Court




















Crossroad for pedestrian activity in the heart of the city
Great light makes it a place to be in!
Classic
Iconic
Limited access
Great year-round usable space
Comfortable alone or as a group
Inspiring interior space
Fountain balances noise
Programmed, well-maintained
Put Minneapolis on the map, and who doesn’t love Mary Tyler Moore!
Gathering place
High-quality materials
Respects original design – space more utilized
One of the best winter gardens in the region
Great space – unparelled in stimulating development
Great space, but as a sitting area on Monday-Friday lunchtime, OK
Seminal interior space
Great activity, life, light, connectivity
No! This feels policed, commercial and not for humans (some of the floor
components are so slippery when wet that you KNOW they were designed for
looks and not use – try getting through this space on crutches!)
Urban Flower Field























Potential is very high
Great temporary idea
Advances learning
Very good temporary solution
Great mural that grounds the space
The access is not handicapped accessible
Very pleasant
Keep the wall
Engaging design
Transforms the place
The mural makes it
Not accessible
A performing landscape that evokes an emotional response
Delightful, if temporary
Great space – unparelled in stimulating development
Wonderful “surprise”
Pleasant to experience @ 30 mph (in passing); OK at 0 mph (sitting)
Multi-modal access
Nice interpretive elements
Great space, size and human scale work well
Wall and graphic make it work
Planting circles are fun, spirited
The public engagement in science/plants/place here is impressive, especially for
a temporary site
Ruin Park





















Great educational space
Great scale
Great materials (new ones fit)
Great public space
Very unique
Specializes space – historic but has limited access
Creative re-use of historic ruin
Great space
Limited public hours
Catalyst for redevelopment and connection to river
Closed part of the time – how do people know about it?
Limited open hours
Not completely obvious to visitors that it is public
Memorable/architecturally interesting
An incredible reminder of the possible
Great space but not accessible
Gated, great event space
Limited and controlled access
Incredible space to experience
Somewhat intellectual- may not meet the kids’ appeal standard
If access to the public is really common, this is a nice space. I could find no
mention of it being open to the public on their website.