A Streetcar Named Density August 21, 2007

CRA staffers Larry Prinds, Colin Kloecker and Tim Cook volunteered an afternoon of their time earlier this summer to participate in three of eleven block-by-block design workshops sponsored by the St. Paul A.I.A. and held at the U-PLAN Community Planning Studio in St. Paul.

The workshops brought architects and property owners together to envision potential options for sites adjacent to the proposed central corridor light rail line along University Avenue. After meeting with property owners over lunch the design teams developed a range of options for each block. Using the A.I.A.'s livability guidelines, the options focused on pedestrian-oriented, livable neighborhoods, and explored a range of development densities.

At the end of the afternoon, the design teams presented their work to the property owners as both hand-sketches and 3D digital massing models produced in Sketch-up. A summary of each team's work can be viewed here.

 

Score your Strut August 09, 2007

One of our internet-addicted staff recently happened upon Walkscore.com, a google-based search engine that selects all of the destinations and services within one mile of any address. Simply type in your address to find all of the restaurants, schools, parks, libraries, drugstores, and of course, coffee shops, in your neighborhood.

The site doesn't take into account hills, lakes, crime rates, hours of operation, fast food vs. gourmet, or other quality and proximity issues, but it's still great for finding new spots around the corner (I found a hardware store and realized a great restaurant was closer than I thought.)

And, our office in Lowertown, St. Paul scored a 98 of 100!