John King on Cities (looking at Minneapolis)

John King is the urban design writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. One of his recent columns looks at Minneapolis. In "Great architecture, clean streets, culture -- it must be Minneapolis," the ten points he makes dovetail nicely with the ideas and philosophy put forward by the Project for Public Spaces.

Outside Rush's Bridal on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

"Everything I know about cities was confirmed this month by a visit to Minneapolis:

1. Street life thrives if you give it a chance.
2. Convenience isn't nearly as convenient as it seems.
3. The more [things to do] the merrier.
On or near Nicollet Mall, you'll find department stores and used-book shops, historic theaters and corporate headquarters, City Hall and a 19,000- seat arena -- plus new plazas, new residential buildings and a new streetcar line. In other words, plenty is going on, and that's the ticket to urban vitality.
4. Culture adds spice.
5. Narrow streets are better than wide ones.
6. Play up the local angles.
This unique to Minneapolis "man"hole cover is an example of what I have proposed in the past of using street fixtures as ways to communicate locality. Photo courtesy of the Sewer History website.
7. Good architecture is good architecture, no matter the style.
8. Change is good.
Not all change, mind you -- it'd be nice to remove some clunkers from the skyline and some parking garages from the streets. Fewer franchised retailers would be nice, too. But there's a bustle here because of the fresh uses in the mix, and that's better than the moribund self-righteousness that sets in when every new idea gets shot down.
9. Cleanliness counts.
Is this the Midwest or what? There's hardly any litter anywhere. The buses and streetcars glisten. Some plazas look as if they're scrubbed each day. Cosmetic? Perhaps. Except that the quality of a place should be embodied in the fine-grain details, not just the sweeping views. And that means taking pride in the day-to-day appearance of where you live your lives.
10. Women know best.
The first night in Minneapolis, I dined at Cafe Brenda on walleye and wild rice, which, with blueberry muffins, constitute the trifecta of local cuisine. A stroll past sleepy blocks of warehouses evolving from red-light district to residential neighborhood led me to the banks of the Mississippi. Walking along grassy parkland toward the Falls of St. Anthony, I had the place to myself -- except for one woman jogging casually past me toward the horizon.

When a city feels safe enough that a woman jogs along, alone, at dusk ... somebody is doing something right."
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Main Street conference starts tomorrow so my blog production is likely to dwindle Will try to write.