Be Heard: Weigh In on Downtown Parks & Public Spaces

Time is running out to participate in Pathways to Places, the public realm master plan being developed by the City of Minneapolis and the MPRB. They've created an innovative mapping tool for feedback that's actually kind of fun to use.

From Minneapolis CPED: Tell us about how you use downtown parks and public space. We want to know more about what you do and how you get around. This interactive map allows you to share ideas about a specific park or place, the path you take to get there, and how you’d improve the experience.

Please click here to share your thoughts…

Explanation:

The City of Minneapolis has launched a planning process for the development of the Downtown Public Realm Framework Plan. The Downtown Public Realm Framework Plan is a thematic plan, led by the City’s Department of Community Planning and Economic Development. It is a guiding policy document for the management of the pedestrian experience in key areas of the city, and is focused on guiding the enhancement of priority streets and urban spaces. This plan will be developed during the same time as the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) develops their Downtown Service Area Master Plan.

“A successful downtown public realm does not operate in a vacuum, and should not have boundaries congruent with publicly owned space,” said Council Member Jacob Frey. “If we expect developers and businesses to make investments that benefit the public realm (and we do), the City must be specific in vision. I am very excited to say that we are dead on track to create a framework that achieves this goal.”

The Downtown Public Realm Framework is the City’s plan to provide unified guidance to inform and coordinate the work of public and private entities that shape the public realm. The Downtown Public Realm Framework includes an inventory of existing policies, practices, and elements in the public realm. It is intended to inform and guide outcomes in capital planning, site plan review, and public/private partnership toward the coordinated enhancement of the public realm. A Public Realm Framework is a guiding policy document for the management of the Right-of-Way. The purpose of Public Realm Frameworks is the creation of a unified document for the public realm within a certain geographic area. The document will address connections, networks, assets and conditions.

“Minneapolis is on the rise. As the growth of our urban core continues, we know we need to look beyond single projects or development sites - we need to think holistically about shaping the experience of being downtown,” said City of Minneapolis Director of Long Range Planning Kjersti Monson. “If we can establish a shared vision for the public realm, and if we can ensure that every stakeholder is aware of that vision, and understands how they can to contribute to it, then we can pull together to make this the most livable downtown in America.”

The City of Minneapolis’ Downtown Public Realm Framework will run on a parallel and integrated track with the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board’s process to create a Downtown Service Area Master Plan (DSAMP). The two processes will result in separate but integrally related documents, the Downtown Public Realm Framework and the DSAMP, which will jointly create the Pathways to Places initiative, for the entire network of downtown public spaces and corridors. The Downtown Public Realm Framework and the DSAMP will each be adopted by their respective elected bodies.

Please click here to share your thoughts…