Marcy-Homes/Dinkytown- Home to the University of Minnesota and a Quality Urban District in Southeast Minneapolis

This neighborhood evaluation includes the traditional boundaries of Marcy-Homes which includes the Dinkytown Business District serving the University of Minnesota. Dinkytown is centered at the commercial node at 14th Ave and SE 4th St. and really came into its own in the Post WWII era as the University exploded in size. Some say the name is in reference to the streetcars, which were called Dinky’s historically in Minneapolis. But ultimately no one really knows and residents embrace the quirkiness regardless of its origins.

Marcy-Homes hosts a significant concentration of off-campus students in its many apartments and single family homes with students crammed in. But there are many other interesting aspects of the district including several additional commercial nodes (i.e. Main St & Central, Central & 5th, SE 9th St, and University & 6th Ave.), the stone and brick warehouse district running along Main Street above the St Anthony Falls, the dynamic mixed-use corridor running down Central and the repurposed warehouses along SE 9th St.

From an urban perspective the neighborhood excels at having convenient access to Dwtn, a high level of walkability with good access to retail and cultural amenities, decent park access, generally good urban form, and good housing diversity. There aren’t a lot of urban deficiencies other than a lack of walkable quality schools and rather monolithic age and economic population due to the large student population. But for Marcy-Homes to become a top-tier Minneapolis urban district is needs more mixed-use infill along its commercial corridors, more park amenities, and more retail amenities increasing its walkability even more.

Click here to view my Dinkytown Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

Good sidewalk amenities and most intersections have ADA standard curbs.
One of Minneapolis’s most densely populated neighborhood’s thanks to the students living off campus from the University of Minnesota.
Very multi-model neighborhood with solid public transit, excellent bike infrastructure, a solid commercial district along 14th St & 4th Avenue and a decent amount of mixed-use throughout. Also very convenient access to Dwtn being only 2 miles away and well connected by transit.
Overall a pretty safe district but with typical collegetown issues.
Some nice historic homes but also plenty of mansions that have been broken up into student apartments distastefully. Small but gorgeous brick & stone warehouse district along Main Street (bricked) near St. Anthony Falls. Feels a bit European.
Generally urban infill if good but some poor design from the mid century and cheaper recent student housing.
Solid tree canopy especially outside of the commercial and industrial districts.
Lots of rental options including plenty of studios leasing btwn 700K-1.4K, 1-beds btwn $800-2K, 2-beds btwn 1K-2.3K, 3-beds btwn 1.3K-2.5K. Great diversity in price and age. Some dedicated affordable housing as well.
Less for-sale options but still decent. Vast range in 1-bed condos ranging anywhere from 150K-1 M depending on age and amenities. 2-bed range btwn 225K-800K. 3 & 4 beds range btwn 250K-1M but many of these are likely rented out to students.
Pretty good park & recreational space including the Father Hennepin Park overlooking St. Anthony Falls and two medium sized parks with good amenities (Mercy & Homes Park).
Solid cultural amenities including plenty of Food & Beverage Bizs, a couple art galleries, a cinema, performing arts theater, significant performing arts at the University of Minnesota, the Weisman Art Museum, and a couple night clubs.
Good retail amenities including a Target (includes supermarket), a couple pharmacies, good # of boutiques, clothing stores & gift shops, several banks, a bookstore, University of Minnesota Hospital, a couple churches, plenty of dessert options & gyms, several salons, a local post office & library.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

So so walkable schools. Limited options and ratings aren’t spectacular.
Very student dominated so some decent racial diversity but age and economic diversity are more limited.

Whittier- the Heart of Minneapolis’ Asian Community

Similar to Uptown, the Whittier neighborhood mostly developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s and maintained a dense population and high rental occupancy into WWII. Whittier is a classic case of missing middle housing where any residential block can see medium density apartment buildings sitting next to single family homes. But like most inner-city Minneapolis neighborhood’s the post War era was not kind to Whittier as middle class white families moved out and left behind struggling business districts and disinvested residential properties. Fortunately the residents of Whittier organized in the late 70s creating several Community Development Corporations to combat the neighborhood’s decline. By the 1980s Whittier became home to many in the counter cultural Bohemian movement and large Chinese and Vietnamese communities moved into the neighborhood opening many food based businesses along Nicollet. Thanks to their investments to the biz district, neighborhood leaders rebranded Nicollet Street as “Eat Street”. Mexican businesses too opened but later in the 1980s and 1990s further diversifying the community. By the 2000s major private housing investments began with three major condominium projects along Nicollet Avenue. Whittier’s housing and business district market have continued to stabilize and many would say that the neighborhood is on a gentrification trajectory.

Fortunately, there remains a significant of affordable rental and condo supply for middle income families. Whittier is also one of Minneapolis’ more walkable neighborhoods thanks to three business districts (Nicollet, Lyndale, and Lake), hosts three museums including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, has great transit and bike infrastructure, and a surprisingly full tree canopy. For Whittier to be a premiere urban district it needs to continue promoting dense in-fill development along its commercial corridors as they still host a fair amount of autocentric development, improve its ADA infrastructure, and build more park and school amenities.

Click here to view my Whittier album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid urban density. Nice mixture of SF and middle apartments buildings on residential streets. Lots of Missing Middle housing here.
* Very convenient access to Dwtn. Only 10 minutes by bike, 5 by car, and 20 by bus.
* Good sidewalk infrastructure but modern ADA curb cuts only fill about 40% of all intersections.
* Generally good urban form along the biz districts (Lake, Lyndale, & Nicollet) but sizable autocentric stretches especially along Lyndale & Lake.
* Solid historic and in-fill architecture but generally not spectacular.
* Solid tree canopy.
* Generally a safe community with a couple pockets of sketchy areas.
* Excellent bike infrastructure including several separate lanes, the Midtown Greenway running along an old railroad ROW, and plenty of dedicated bike stations.
* Great economic and racially diversity. Also pretty good generational diversity.
* Great rental diversity w/ tons of studios leasing btwn 750K-1.3K, 1-beds btwn $850-1.5K, 2-beds lease btwn 1K-2.5K, and good # of 3-beds leasing btwn 1.5K-2.5K.
* Great sidewalks amenities but modern ADA curb cuts cover maybe 60% of all intersections.
* Good diversity of 1-bed condo selling anywhere btwn 75K-320K, great diverse 2-bed options ranging for dated condos to modern condos, townhomes, and SF home selling btwn 150K-500K. Good diversity for 3 & 4 beds selling between 200K-900K .
* Good cultural amenities including plenty of restaurants, bars & cafes, the Minneapolis Institute of Art & Hennepin History Museum, Children’s Theater company, several Asian Markets along Hennepin, a couple live music venues & a performing arts & Improve theater.
* Solid retail amenities as well including 4 supermarkets & 3 drug stores, decent # of boutiques/clothing stores, a bookstore, several salons, several dessert shops & gyms, a couple floral shops, several record stores, a post office, a medium sized hospital & plenty of medical offices.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Some missing /limited retail amenities including public library, churches, hardware store, and larger department stores.
Really on two parks in Whittier: Washburn Fair Oaks & Whittier Park which also has a recreation center. At these they are decent sized parks with good amenities.
Some walkable schools and but well rated.
Several autocentric spots along Lyndale and Lake Avenue.

Uptown- Minneapolis’ Premiere Urban Neighborhood and where Prince got his Musical Start

I generally follow the standard boundaries for Uptown but adjusted them a bit for evaluation purposes. I used 31st as the southern boundary, Lyndale as the eastern boundary, W 24th St as the northern and the lake as the western.

Uptown historically grew out of the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and West Lake Street and several surrounding more residential neighborhoods (i.e. Lowry Hill East, East Bde Maka Ska, South Uptown and East Calhoun Isles neighborhoods). The name really began in 1939 when a new theater called “the Uptown Theater” went up near this intersections and the business community started to use it in their branding efforts. At the time Chicago’s Uptown District was well known and a Midwestern Cultural hub several miles north of the Loop. Up to this point, Uptown was a stable turn of the century neighborhood but like most inner city Minneapolis neighborhoods it experienced disinvestment in the post WWII era but nothing like Black majority neighborhoods in Northwestern Minneapolis. in the 70s and 80s Uptown became a hub for artists and musicians participating in the countercultural movements. Uptown was also where Music Artist “Prince” got his start evidenced by several of his songs referencing the neighborhood. Starting in the 80s revitalization efforts accelerated and Uptown’s retail began to see a renaissance most demonstrated by the opening of the Calhoun Square Shopping mall. By the 1990s Uptown had turned the corner and was in full blown gentrification mood. But thanks to Minneapolis’ overall affordable housing market, rentals and even small condos and homes are still within the reach of many middle-class families.

Uptown is arguably Minneapolis’ premiere urban district thanks to its extensive urban commercial districts running along Hennepin, Lake, and Lyndale This provides extensive retail and cultural amenities. Uptown is also served by several miles of lakefront recreational trails, has great array of housing options & price points, is very multi-model and well served by transit & bike infrastructure, has a great array of historic and in-fill options, and a great sense of place thanks to a strong node at Lake & Hennepin Avenue. The pandemic and a major reconstruction of Lake & Hennepin Avenue has brought significant strain to the retail community resulting in the closure of Target and many name brand retail chains. But given the existing urban strength of Uptown, I’m hopeful that these empty retail spaces will fill out and the neighborhood will reinvest itself again.

Click here to view my Uptown album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

Also excellent access to Dwtn. Only a 20 min bike ride, 25 min transit trip and 12 mins by car.
Solid density at 17 K per square mile. Good access to really all modes of transportation. Very walkable neighborhood.
Overall a very safe communities. Some struggles in their commercial district after the Pandemic.
A handful of studio condos selling around 100K, good diversity of 1-bed condo selling anywhere btwn 100K-325K, great diverse 2-bed options ranging for dated condos to modern condos, townhomes, and SF homes. Most sell between 100K-600K but some super luxury condos selling for 1.5 M. Good diversity for 3 & 4 beds selling between 200K-1.5M with some mansions selling for even more.
Great rental diversity w/ tons of studios leasing btwn 800K-1.3K, 1-beds btwn $800-1.7K, 2-beds lease btwn the mid-high 1Ks, and good # of 3-beds leasing btwn 1.5K-3K. Even some 4-beds as well.
Great sidewalks amenities but modern ADA curb cuts cover maybe 60% of all intersections.
Great sense of place thanks to all the business districts and the “”dwtn”” Uptown at Lake Avenue and Hennepin.
Great architecture all around. Lots of quality recent apartments bldgs as well.
Good pedestrian activity along the biz districts but a bit sleepy in the SF residential streets.
Good cultural amenities including plenty of food & beverage bizs, a Indie movie house, a several live music venues and art galleries.
Uptown retail took a major hit during the Pandemic leading to closure of Target and several other brand name clothing stores, but solid retail amenities still remain. This includes 4 supermarkets & drug stores, a couple bookstores, several clothing stores, Calhoun Square (currently undergoing redevelopment), several banks, a hardware store, plenty of gyms & dessert joints, a bowling alley, several furniture stores, plenty of salons, a local library, and a couple of medical offices.
Several miles of lakefront recreational paths here and great access to a couple lakes. No large parks in Uptown but several well dispersed smaller parks including a local pool. Good tree canopy*
Urban form is generally solid along the biz districts but some auto centric spots along Lyndale and the northern reaches of Hennepin. Major reconstruction of Hennepin & Lake that will leave a much improve streetscaping environment.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Only a couple of schools within the Uptown footprint and they are not rated well. A couple decent schools several blocks outside of the neighborhood with mixed ratings.
Limited churches and not neighborhood post office.
So so diversity metrics. Decent amount of economic and racial diversity east of Hennepin. West of here is high income and generally White.
So so access to walkable schools. The 3 public schools aren’t rated well and only a couple private schools. At least all grades are represented.”

Ventura Village- Inner City Neighborhood just South of Central Minneapolis and Home to Many Somolian & African Immigrants

Ventura Village historically was considered part of the larger Phillips neighborhood which stretches down southwards from the highway all the way to Lake St. This changed in the early 2000s when a group of residents in what was then District 2 of Phillips, decided the best way forward for the northern area around Franklin Avenue, was to separate from the rest of Phillips. Local residents seem to be embracing this overall and additional sub-neighborhoods of the larger Phillips district have formed (i.e. West Phillip, Midtown Phillips, East Phillips). Ventura Square however feels to me the most distinct and deserving to be evaluated as a separate neighborhood given its proximity to Central Minneapolis and distinct commercial district along Franklin Avenue. For the purposes of this evaluation I consider the southern boundary of Ventura Square to be 24th St, the other boundaries are the highways.

Phillips as a whole is very diverse and is the heart of the immigrant community in Minneapolis. It is not surprising that the Midtown Global Market was built here. In Ventura Village the overwhelming immigrant communities are Somalian and other African nations. The influx of immigration in Ventura Village has helped reverse decades of urban decline and white flight that came here in the post WW II area. Immigrants are also likely the driver to lowered crime which plagued the neighborhood in the 1990s and early 2000s. Likely because of this influx of immigrants Ventura Village is much more intact and stable than many African-American concentrated districts in Northern Minneapolis. From an urban perspective Ventura District does well with high density, great diversity, a good # of walkable schools, good housing diversity, and decent park and retail amenities. For it to become a top tier Minneapolis urban district it needs more households with higher incomes who can help drive necessary in-fill housing (esp. along Franklin), needed retail and cultural amenities, and a better urban form along Ventura Village’s main commercial district, Franklin. This trend of higher incomes moving to the community seems to already be in motion. I just hope that the neighborhood can accommodate this while still holding on to its diversity.

Click here to view my Ventura Village Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid urban density.
* Excellent public transit access and great access to Dwtn being just south of the Central Minneapolis District. Good multi-model access overall. Several bike lanes in Ventura Village along with plenty of dedicated bike stations.
* Pretty diverse neighborhood with large Hispanic and Black populations and modest White households.
* Good # of walkable schools but most are smaller private schools and the few public schools are rated poorly. Coverage of all ages though.
* Decent # of rentals but much less than neighboring Stevens Square. Studios & 1 beds lease btwn $800-1K, 2-beds lease btwn 1K-2K. Good # of 3 beds generally leasing in the mid-high 1Ks. Good amount of affordable rentals in Ventura Village.
* Only a handful of 1-bed condos leasing in the mid-100Ks. Slightly more 2-beds selling btwn 80K-270K, and lot of 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 100K-450K. Lots of house type diversity among 3-beds.
* Good park amenities including two medium sized parks with lots of amenities, two community centers, and an indoor pool.
* Decent retail amenities including an ALDI’s, several ethnic groceries, a couple drug stores, a Dollar General, a hardware store, a couple banks, a bakery, a couple churches, and two major hospitals (Children’s & Abbots) that sit a couple blocks south of the neighborhood.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Not a lot of income diversity as there is a high % of household in poverty or lower-middle class.
Good sidewalk infrastructure but ADA curbs are not very consistent.
Crime is much less than the 1990s and 2000s but still present and a good amount of blight & vacancy remains in the community. This seems to be changing quickly though with lots of new investment.
Pedestrian activity is a bit lacking.
Very eclectic architecture styles and areas. But a lot of bland historic homes and unattractive mid-century buildings and cheap more modern apartment buildings. Also a good amount of autocentric development along Franklin Ave.
So so cultural amenities including several restaurants (many ethnic) and a couple cafes. Also a couple art galleries and a performing arts theater,”

Steven’s Square- One of Minneapolis Densest Inner City Neighborhoods and a Model for Anti-Gentrification Urban Revitalization

Although it is one of the densest neighborhoods in Minneapolis today, Stevens Square-Loring Heights was originally occupied by all large mansions. Today, the area is composed mostly of 1920s brick apartment buildings or mansions that have been subdivided into apartments. Although Stevens Square faced many of the same challenges which confronted other inner-city neighborhoods through the 1990s, Steven’s Square has seen a steep drop in crime and better income diversifications. has seen significant increases in safety and average income in recent years. Steven’s Square is a textbook example of how to transition for a unstable poverty ridden neighborhood to a stable one without massive displacement and gentrification. This is thanks largely to many apartments buildings being converted to condominiums or co-ops. Still many naturally affordable rentals exist here helping many working class individuals and households find a home.

From an urban perspective Steven’s Square is one of Minneapolis’s densest communities with walkable access to Dwtn and great multi-model options. Also a very affordable place to live with tons of modest rent apartments and plenty of condos selling anywhere from 70K-350K. What Steven’s Square lacks the most are many retail and cultural amenities. This is likely due to the historically low incomes of the community. Steven’s Square could also use better ADA infrastructure, more parks, better schools, and more generational diversity as there are very few families here.

Click here to view my Steven’s Square Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Excellent Density.
* Great access to Dwtn being just south of the Central Minneapolis District. Very walkable district as well with good access to all modes of transit.
* Solid economic and racial diversity.
* Lots of rental options and very reasonably priced with studios leasing between $750-1.1K. 1-beds lease btwn $900-1.2K, 2-beds lease btwn 1.2K- 1.8K. Only a handful of 3 & 4 bed units. Good amount of affordable rentals and apartments that have been converted into co-ops.
* Good number of condos for sale 1-beds sell btwn 70K-285K, 2-beds btwn 100K-350K. Only a handful of 3 & 4 bedrooms selling btwn 450K-550K.
* Decent tree canopy esp. considering how density the neighborhood is.
* Lots of historic 1920s brick apartments and still some amazing late 19th century mansions left. Some good large in-fill apartments along Nicollet and a sprinkling of other in-fill buildings throughout.
* Good pedestrian activity thanks to Steven Square’s density.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Limited generational diversity.
* Schools are limited to a handful of mixed-rated schools within Steven’s Square and nearby.
* Safety is much better in Steven Square than it was several decades ago but still some sketchy blocks.
* ADA curb cuts on about half the blocks. Generally good sidewalks though.
* Only one park within Steven’s Square but good access to excellent parks within 1/4 mile.
* Okay cultural amenities includes several restaurants (esp. African restaurants), a couple cafes, and a performing arts theater. Still pretty close to the Dwtn cultural amenities.
* Missing a lot of key retail amenities but Steven Square is a hub for several African grocerias and also hosts a drug store, a couple boutiques, a bank, a hardware store, several salons, lots of medical clinics and doctor’s offices, and only a couple churches.

Loring Park- Great Inner City Minneapolis Neighborhood with Excellent Access to Park Space

Loring Park was established in 1883 after the passage of the Park Act, which first created the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The neighborhood filled in shortly afterwards with most of the neighborhood built out by the early 20th century. Loring Park received a significant amount of urban renewal and rebuilding of its fabric thanks to the passage of the 1972 Loring Park Development increment financing district. While this removed a lot of historic mixed-use buildings and retail spaces, it increased the neighborhood’s residential density and created some additional office and hotel uses. Current day Loring Park is a real hodge podge of old and newer uses and the population has been increasing since the 1970s and has doubled in last 50 years.

Loring Park has great access to Downtown and is one of Minneapolis’ most walkable districts. Loring Park and Loring Greenway give residents excellent access to green space and the District also hosts a great array of cultural amenities. For Loring Park to be a top tier urban district it needs more retail amenities within its boundaries. To achieve this retail space needs to be intentionally created to counter act the legacy of the neighborhood’s urban renewal efforts which created mostly single use buildings.

Click here to view my Loring Park Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid urban density.
* Excellent public transit access and bike access as well. Overall a very walkable neighborhood.
* Great racial and economic diversity.
* Lots of rental options including a good array of price points. Plenty of studios leasing anywhere btwn $700-1.7K, 1-beds btwn $900-1.8K, 2-beds btwn 1K-2.2K. Only a handful of 3-beds. Decent number of affordable housing as well.
* Good condo options with most 1-beds selling btwn 100K-300K and some luxury condos selling around 600K. Lots of 2-bed condos ranging anywhere from 150K-800K. Good amount of 3-beds selling btwn 150K-600K. Really no 4-beds.
* Excellent park amenities starting with the spectacular Historic Loring Park with diverse amenities. Loring Greenway branches out of Loring Park cutting through the heart of Loring Park. Minneapolis Sculpture Park is located just across the highway in Lowry Park.
* Nice mix of historic and modern urban in-fill. The 60s 70s balcony apartments are also pretty nice as they mostly face the Loring Greenway.
* Some homeless issues but overall a very safe neighborhood.
* Good cultural amenities including a decent amount of food & beverage bizs, a couple smaller performing arts venues, the Loris Park Community Arts Center, and walkable access to several theaters on Hennepin and several museums nearby and plenty of other Dwtn cultural amenities.
* Generally good urban massing. Not too many surface parking lots. Most buildings have a good urban orientation but a fair amount of 1960s/1970s building that don’t have great human scale.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Limited generational diversity. Few children reside in Loring Park.
Retail amenities within Loring Park are pretty underwhelming given the neighborhood’s density and Center city Location. Amenities include a supermarket, a game store, a couple gyms, several churches, the Minneapolis Convention Center, several salons, a bridal store, and pretty good access to a major hospital in Elliot Park. Good access to a decent # of retail amenities in Downtown Minneapolis.

Elliot Park- Minneapolis’ Original Milloinare’s Row and now Quality Urban District

Elliot Park is one of Minneapolis’s oldest neighborhoods and was plotted starting in 1856. The neighborhood is named after Mr. Joseph Elliot, an area physician, who donated his farm land to the city in 1893 which turned into present day Elliot Park. Sitting just outside of the City’s main commercial district (Hennepin Ave) and the mills along the Mississippi River, Elliot Park became a destination for Minneapolis’ wealthiest residents in the late 19th century. Several large mansions sprang up along Park Avenue. But this was short lived.. As the city grew and encompassed the neighborhood, most of the wealthy citizens left for nearby Lowry Hill and Kenwood districts and Elliot Park densified and built more and more 3 & 4 story apartment buildings. The area began to decline in the mid-20th century as white flight and highways decimated the district. Elliot Park’s population decline and lower income families became concentrated in Elliot Park.

Thankfully this was not to last and by the turn of the 20th century Elliot Park began to gentrify and its population grew taking advantage of the general raise in popularity of Central Minneapolis. Elliot Park does a nice job of mixing historic structures and homes from the late 19th century with quality urban in-fill largely constructed since 2000. Elliot Park is generally a very walkable neighborhood with great access to many of Central Minneapolis’ amenities. It also has good park amenities, diversity housing options, and pretty good food & beverage amenities. For Elliot Park to be a top tier urban district it needs much more retail amenities. There is no supermarket and limited local retail in the district. This can be fueled by increased urban-infill filling in the decent number of surface parking lots remaining and intentional mixed-use development.

Click here to view my Elliot Park Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Excellent density.
* Great sidewalk and ADA infrastructure throughout.
* Great proximity to Dwtn as it is literally within a 5 minute walk of the neighborhood.
* Good racially and economic diversity.
* Not a ton of parks but three quality parks in Elliot Park including Elliot Park (includes a wading pool & recreation center), Franklin Steele Park, and the Commons.
* Decent tree canopy, especially the more residential/historic sections on the southern edge of Elliot Park.
* Nice mix of historic and modern urban in-fill. Some ugly infill as well but generally pretty urban.
* Lots of rental options including a good array of price points. Plenty of studios leasing anywhere btwn $500-1.5K, 1-beds btwn $900-2K, 2-beds btwn 1K-3K. Only a handful of 3-beds. Decent number of affordable housing as well.
* Some condo options with 1-beds selling in the 100Ks & 200ks. 2-bed are a mix of condos and townhouses selling btwn 200K-600K. Good amount of 3-beds selling btwn 300K-800K. A handful of 4-beds.
* Decent cultural amenities especially with its proximity to Dwtn Minneapolis. Good # of food & beverage bizs, a handful of art galleries, a couple live music venues, and US Bank Stadium. North Central University is here and hosts decent # of cultural activities.
* Urban massing and streetscaping is generally pretty good.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

A mix of poorly rated public schools and small private schools in Dwtn Minneapolis and nearby.
Some safety concerns but Elliot Park seems a lot safer than it was 15 years ago.
Ok retail amenities within Elliot Park itself including a drug store, a couple banks, a major hospital and lots of medical offices, a couple clothing stores & salons, a handful of dessert joints and gyms, and plenty of churches. Decent access to retail amenities in surrounding Downtown Districts.
Some surface parking lots but not terrible. “

Downtown Council Bluffs, IA

It is very difficult to carve out a urban evaluation area for Council Bluffs. I focused in on the historic dwtn and did my best to include more or less connected urban areas to the Dwtn. I used the train tracks as the western border, 9th & 5th Ave as the southern, Avenue G as the northern and then had to continue the norther and southern borders eastwards to connect to where Lincoln intersections with Broadway to capture the urban main street continuing eastward along Broadway and its connecting urban residential streets.

At a population of 62K this is Iowa’s 10th largest city. Until about 1853 Council Bluffs was known as Kanesville, the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Council Bluffs (rather than Omaha) was designated by President Abraham Lincoln as the official starting point of the transcontinental railroad, which was completed in 1869. By the 1930s, Council Bluffs had grown into the country’s fifth largest rail center. The railroads helped the City become a center for grain storage. By the late 20th century the city and region were suffering economic stagnation as it struggled to develop a new economy. The City’s population dipped to 54K in 1990 but has since rebounded most of this likely due to sprawl.

Dwtn Council Bluffs is a decent mixed-use area with a great central plaza, two main biz districts (Main & Broadway), solid parks, good retail and cultural amenities, a good stretches of historic commercial and stately homes (along Main street), and lots of housing options and relatively affordable. As Council Bluffs was the center of a pretty large historic City there is an interesting mix of more Dwtn and neighborhood amenities. But Dwtn Council Bluffs has plenty of blight and underutilized autocentric stretches. For Dwtn Council Bluffs to become a top tier urban district it needs to continue to build quality urban infill and work towards creating a truly walkable core for a largely autocentric Council Bluffs City.

Click here to view of my Dwtn Council Bluffs Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Sidewalks and ADA infrastructure is generally good but about 1/3 of all intersections are without curb cuts and some very narrow sidewalks in parts.
* Good dedicated bike connection to Dwtn Omaha via a seperated train connecting pretty well to a pedestrian Bridge over the Missouri River. A couple dedicated bike stations as well. Bike connection is 40 mins which is similar to the bus distance. Driving is an easy 15 mins.
* Good supply of rentals mixing very affordable and moderately priced stuff. Lots of dedicated rental in the Dwtn area.
* For sale housing is a mix of affordable and moderately priced housing but decent variation. Some 1-bed homes that sell btwn 40K-85K. 2-bed homes sell btwn 50K-225K. 3 & 4 bed product sells btwn 75K-410K.
* Good park amenities including an excellent historic square park (Bayliss Park), two YMCA’s, expansive Fairmount Park with a view, and a couple other small parks.
* Excellent tree canopy along the hillsides, less so on the more urban flat areas.
* Cultural amenities include a good # of food & beverage amenities, a couple night clubs, a couple live music venues & art galleries., the Hoffman Arts Center, and several museums.
* Decent retail amenities including a hardware store, a supermarket, several drug stores, lots of banks, only a couple boutiques/gift stores, a couple antique stores, a Dwtn public library, a record store, a florist, several salons, a couple dessert joints, and plenty of gyms, major hospital nearby and plenty of medical offices, and plenty of churches.
* Mix of quality urban form & massing and pretty terrible autocentric stretches across all the biz districts (Broadway, Main, and the more Dwtn feeling blocks surrounding Bayliss Park). Similar dynamic with urban in-fill.
* Great historic commercial building surrounding Bayliss Park and along stretches of Main and Broadway. Great historic residential around Bayliss Park and up the hill from Main Street.
* Good mix of uses throughout most of Dwtn Council Bluffs.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Public transit is pretty sub par for an urban area.
Pretty low density for an urban district.
Good street connectivity in the core of Dwtn but it falls off eastward along Broadway Ave.
Pretty high poverty rate in Council Bluffs.
Lots of unadorned historic worker housing in the Dwtn area.
Pedestrian activity pretty underwhelming for a Dwtn area.”

Dahlman- Omaha’s Historic Ethnic Enclave and Home to its Littly Itally District

Dahlman is the neighborhood just south of Dwtn and includes the Little Italy neighborhood which generally is located between 5th and 10th street just south of the historic Union Station. I expanded the traditional Dahlman boundaries to include 16th to the west and Martha St to the south.

Dahlman is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the City. It was originally platted in 1856. Dahlan’s growth was spurred mostly from the Union Pacific railroad located just south of Dwtn and attracted Omaha’s largest early concentrated of immigrant enclaves including large Bohemian, German, Irish and finally Italian populations all building their own Ethnic Catholic Church. Sicilian immigrants began arriving in mass in the early 20th century concentrated along South 6th Street and South 10th Street and is an neighborhood officially recognized on Google maps.

From an urban perspective Dahlman has good mixed-use nodes at 13th & Hickory St and 10th St near the Historic Omaha Train station. Because of it mostly late 19th century development, many areas of Dahlman are mixed-use. It also has solid public transit and great access to Dwtn being only 1.5-2 miles away along with a great array of for-sale options. Dahlman does pretty well with cultural amenities, hosting many restaurants, bars & cafes but lacks important retail amenities (i.e. supermarket, pharmacy, public library, and other general retail amenities). For Dahlman to be a top notch urban district it needs a lot more density and infill development especially to fill in its dead spaces along the neighborhood’s 3 arterial roads (16th, 13th, and 10th). Urban planners should also work hard to incentivize development around the Union Station as this is a natural extension of the Old Market District to the North. I’d also like to see a lot more rental options here and more park amenities.

Click here to view my Dahlman album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

Good public transit on the western half of Dahlman but quite mediocre in the eastern half.
Decent bike infrastructure including a lengthy dedicated north-south bike lane and a couple of bike share stations.
Good but not great ADA and sidewalk infrastructure. ADA curb cuts are present on 70% of all intersections and sidewalks are consistent except on the eastern edge of the neighborhood which honestly feels quasi-rural.
Very convenient access to Dwtn being 1-2 miles away. Only a 5 min drive, 14 min bike ride and 20 min bus ride.
Good diversity metrics especially economic and generational diversity.
Pretty good for sale diversity including a some 1-beds and condos selling anywhere from 100K-500, 2-beds for 75K-500K, 3 & 4 beds btwn 100K-500K. A couple 1 M townhouses.
Overall a pretty safe community but some blight in spots, especially the eastern half of the neighborhood.
Some good historic commercial architecture, especially on 16th. Dahlman also hosts the Art Deco Train Station and a couple other impressive warehouse buildings nearby.
Decent amount of urban in-fill (mostly townhouse but also some larger mixed-use buildings.
Pretty good food & beverage amenities. Other cultural amenities are limited to a modern performing arts theater, and a couple live music venues.
Good tree canopy throughout most of the district.
Thanks to the pre-zoning industrial legacy of the neighborhood it is quite mixed-use even with retail amenities being pretty limited.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Connectivity is hit or miss depending on whether there are railroads are old industrial areas in between. Also a lot of long blocks.
So so density.
Only one small Catholic Elementary school in the neighborhood.
A mix of rental price points but not a ton of product listed. A couple dedicated affordable apts.
Historic residential architecture is generally unatornedworker housing but some more impressive larger homes on the northern edge especially on or near 10th.
Parks are limited to the medium sized Dahlman parks and the Lauritzen Botantic Gardens, while expansive is ticketed.
Fair number of amenities including a hardware store, a couple banks, several boutiques and gift stores concentrated on a couple blocks of 13th St. There is also a couple furniture stores, several bakeries, a coulpe gyms, the main post office on the northern edge of the district, several churches.
A couple good urban blocks along 13th between William & Hickory, at 10th at the Historic Train station and a couple blocks south but lots of surface parking ,auto centric uses, and underutilized buildings along the main streets of 16th, 13th, and 10th Streets.
Infrastructure is generally pretty dated and worn out along the main streets.”

Vinton Street- South Omaha Neighborhood with decent Main Street and large Mexico Population

Vinton Street developed in the late 19th and early 20th century neighborhood thanks to the growth of the Union Stockyards in South Omaha. In the early 20th century the neighborhood was filled with Irish, Poles, and Eastern European immigrants. Since the 1970s the neighborhood has increasing seen an influx of Mexican Immigrants although nowhere as concentrated as the CPL district south of here.

From an urban perspective Vinton St has a solid historic commercial district running for about 4 blocks. This is where the concentration of the neighborhood’s retail and cultural amenities are located. Also a couple ugly strip malls along 24th St and some commercial mixed into 13th Street. Vinton St also has great access to Dwtn across all modes of transportation and is generally a pretty safe community, albeit still struggling with some blight thanks to its post industrial legacy. For Vinton St to be a great urban district it needs to start with better schools, more density, and in-fill development (especially along the main streets). More park amenities is certainly needed as well.

Click here to view my Vinton Street album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Decent urban density.
* Solid public transit access. Convenient access to Dwtn across all modes: 5 mins by car, 25 by bus & 20 by bike. Nice bike lane running north directly to Dwtn and one bike station in the Vinton Street.
* ADA and sidewalk infrastructure is generally good on the main streets. About half the residential streets have ADA curbs and many of the sidewalks are very narrow.
* Good diversity metrics, especially economic. Hispanic population is probably around 50-60% but good White population too.
* Decent cultural amenities including several restaurants & bars, a couple night/dance clubs, a live music venue, a couple art galleries, a performing arts theater.
* Decent retail amenities as well including 2 large supermarkets, a couple grocerias, a drug store, several clothing & dress stores, a couple of banks, a furniture store, a couple Mexican bakeries, a floral & plant store, several churches.
* Generally a pretty safe community but some blight is certainly pockets.
* Pretty good urban form along Vinton but some terrible autocentric blocks on 24th Street.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Only a handful of listed rental properties but generally affordable.
Only one poorly rate elementary school in the neighborhood. No other walkable schools really in around Vinton Street.
Not a lot of for sale housing variety as most options are modest working homes. 2-beds sell anywhere from 50K-230K 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 60K-300K.
Only a handful of smaller parks within Vinton but a couple larger parks on its bounders. Spring Lake and the Omaha Zoo are just to the south but divided by a highway.
No local public library or post office.
Historic housing is pretty underwhelming a mix of 1920s & 1940 working housing without much ornamentation. Historic commercial district is decent but nothing spectacular.
Not much in-fill and what does exist is generally strip malls and auto centric commercial.
Pretty good urban form along Vinton but some terrible autocentric blocks on 24th Street.”