Minneapolis is wrapping up an interesting experiment on transit and community involvement -and it might be a great example for the Triangle!
Basically, planners and activists are working together to liven up local neighborhoods using multiple transit options. According to the pilot study’s progress report from last year…
…with “multiple modes” meaning not just bus stops and bike lanes, but also scooters, bike rentals, and pickup areas for Uber and Lyft.
But that’s not all: with help from a national nonprofit, Minneapolis made these hubs feel less unsafe and more welcoming by bringing in (volunteer?) community leaders as “mobility hub ambassadors”. They do more than just talk about transit, though:
Think of this as a way for local stakeholders to walk the talk with their diversity commitments.
If this happened in Raleigh's Downtown South... (click me!)
…what Minneapolis did would be like if:
Kane Realty went up to individual residents in South Park and Rochester Heights, listened to what they want in a neighborhood, and used those ideas to design/build a Mobility Hub
the City of Raleigh maintained the Hub, held regular feedback sessions so locals don’t feel “left behind”, and organized regular community events there to help companies/nonprofits meet more locals than they could by themselves
OneWake leaders became ambassadors for the City so that, instead of criticizing decision-makers from the sidelines, they can be in the front lines to make their neighborhoods a better place to be
With pandemic-related closures, police brutality protests, and controversies over Downtown South, it’s all too easy to feel like the city, community activists, and urban developers are doomed to point knives at each other’s throats. But what if this idea is a hint for a better way?
MIami and Miami Beach have been doing this with their bike share and bus stations for years now. They haven’t done it at all with scooters because there’s still hostility toward them (and for good reason). The bike share and bus station by my place couldn’t be closer to each other if they tried, and there’s a kids’ playground immediately behind it. Just to the east of the bus station is a bike service station with air, and all the tools one might need to fix their bike tethered to an upright bollard.
Directly across the street there’s a bus stop for busses going the other direction, and an adult outdoor gym station.
In general, I think that it’s not uncommon for cities to consolidate modes of transit with each other. I also think it’s a no-brainer, good idea! Miami Beach has also been consolidating destinations and other resources at certain high traffic nodes.
I agree; multimodal “bus” stations in mind seems like the smart and obvious thing to do!
But I think the real innovation comes from manning them with community leaders who (ideally) locals know and like. It’s one thing to have transit options -but you build a deeper emotional bond when you associate them with your artsy neighbor or the trusty former gym coach at your kid’s school. In a country that sees governments and transit as dark, dirty, and impersonal, I think that human connection makes a difference.
SC’s flag is cool, but when I first moved to the area and saw that symbol on license plates I thought it had something to do with Islam or a Muslim country, given the crescent moon and palm tree. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth.
Perhaps Mr. Kane would consider erecting this as a signature building in DTS, though I do think this is a very Vegas specific kind of building. Lets see if this works . . .
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I will see if I can get the picture to show up, but in someways its more fun if you click on the date at the bottom and get a surprise. Merry Christmas y’all.
Naughty, liberated, crazy, I guess it depends on your perspective. I am getting a big laugh out of Raleigh’s reaction to something like this being proposed. Certainly, most of us on this board want to see some provocative and avant garde designs, but this might be to much for Raleigh to swallow.
On second look it looks a bit… different than a boot HAHAHA
This architect has a very dirty mind
