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.”

CPL Inc- the Heart of Omaha’s Mexican Community

The CPL Inc neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska, has a unique history characterized by its industrial roots especially the railroads. The neighborhood’s name, CPL Inc, is believed to be derived from a prominent company or industrial entity that played a significant role in its early days. By the mid 20th century the CPL district industrial and transitioned into an attractive walkable working class community with a thriving business district along 24th Street. By the 1970s there was a very established Mexican community in CPL and across the largest South Omaha community. The community is anchored by Our Lady of Guadalupe, which was founded in 1919. The influx of Mexican immigrants into the community helped stabilize the CPL neighborhood and prevent it from hallowing out as other working class communities had down in Omaha.

For CPL to became a top notch urban district is simply needs more population and in-fill development. I do not seen this in its near term future as housing prices are very affordable, not lending well to new construction. Listed rental options are very limited and green space is sparse other than several ball fields.

Click here to view my CPL Inc album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

Pretty good access to Dwtn. 10 min drive, 25 minute bus ride, ok bike access but not via a bike lane.
Sidewalk and ADA infrastructure is generally good but a good number of intersections don’t have ADA curbs and some blocks are either missing sidewalks or have very narrow or disappearing sidewalks.
Excellent economic diversity here.
Decent school amenities with a public elementary & middle school and a couple private Christian school. Mixed ratings however.
My sense is the neighborhood is pretty safe. Some grit due to the industrial legacy of the community but the large influx of Hispanic residents has largely stabilized the community.
Excellent historic commercial architecture along 24th Street. Historic residential is generally plainer turn of the 20th century work housing but some detailing in the housing units.
Great urban form and streetscaping along 24th street, the main urban business district of CPL. Missouri and 13th Street are wider avenues but mainly residential. Some autocentric commercial stretches on Missouri but not terrible.
Decent amount of restaurants, bars, and other commercial mixed throughout the neighborhood.
Thick tree cover in the eastern half of the district. Limited in the western half where the 24th st biz district is located.
Good food and beverage amenities, several night clubs, a small Latino History Museum, but not much else culturally.
Good retail amenities including several Mexican grocerias, a drug store, dollar general, tons of clothing and boutiques, several salons, a florist, a hardware store, several banks, a couple furniture stores, several bakeries, a Catholic Church, a couple community health clinics, and a local post office.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

The western half of CPL has good public transit. Ok access in the eastern half.
Ok urban density.
A couple of bike lane segments in CPL but not a direct connect to Dwtn nor to other areas. A couple bike stations as well.
Very large Hispanic population around 70% but that leads to not much racial diversity here.
Modern in-fill is very limited. A handful of urban apartment buildings and auto centric commercial.
Only a handful of listed rental options. All were pretty affordable.
Lots of affordable homes but not a ton of variety. 2-beds sell btwn 50K-200. 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 60K-250K.
Parks are limited to several ballfields and a sliver of Mt Vernon Gardens on the eastern edge of the neighborhood.”

Benson- An early 20th century streetcar suburb annexed into Omaha in the 1910s

The neighborhood is named after Erastus Benson a land speculator, investor and philanthropist who was an early investor in marketing Thomas Edison’s inventions. In the mid-to-late 1910s, Omaha embarked on a course of annexing its suburban communities to its north and west. In a shrewd move, Benson anticipating annexation, decided to build as many civic improvements as they could knowing that after annexation the City would be responsible for assuming these debts.

Benson’s best urban attribute is its in tact 4-block historic commercial district along Maple Street, now a designated Historic District. This brings a great array of walkable cultural amenities (esp. restaurants & bars) and plenty of locally owned retail. Benson also has solid public transit access, convenient access to Dwtn, several walkable schools, good housing diversity, lots of parks, decent tree canopy, and a high level of safety.

While there is a concentration of denser housing from the 1910s-1920s surrounding Maple street, much of Benson is medium density bland mid-century housing. Benson also has some awful stroad stretches along Radial Highway, 72nd Street, and the Western half of Maple Street. For Benson to be considered a top notch urban district it needs more density, urban in-fill along its stroads, more racial diversity, and much better bike network.

Click here to view my Benson album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

Convenient access to dwtn being only a 10 min drive and 25 min bus ride.
Solid public transit access.
Good street connectivity that is well connect and generally has small blocks albeit there are some larger blocks on the southern edge of the neighborhood.
Excellent economic diversity and solid age diversity
Generally good sidewalks and curb cuts but a 1/3 of intersections without ADA curbs and some streets missing sidewalks in the Southwestern corner of the district.
Pretty good historic commercial architecture along Maple St.
While often poorly rated Benson has a lot of walkable schools for all ages and has several Catholic and private schools including a larger Jesuit High School.
Some 1 bed rentals that lease anywhere in the 1ks. More 2-bed options leasing anywhere from $800-2K. Good amount of 3-beds that lease close to 2K. A couple large affordable housing towers here.
Good for sale diversity including a decent # of 1-bed detach SF homes selling anywhere from 50K-150K. 2-beds sell btwn 75K-350K. 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 90K-550K with the most expensive housing concentrated in the Country Club District.
Overall a very safe area.
Good array of small and medium sized parks well dispersed throughout the district. Also a public swimming pool several ballfields and ball grounds and the large Benson Park just north of the neighborhood which includes a lake and extensive golf course.
Good tree canopy.
Retail and cultural amenities are overwhelming concentrated along Maple St especially the 4 block core between Radial & Military. Solid cultural amenities including plenty of food & beverage businesses, a couple breweries, lots of night clubs, a couple live music venues, plenty of galleries, and a performing arts center in a historic theater.
Good retail amenities including several groceries, a pharmacy, lots of boutiques, gift shops, and unique locally owned stores in the core of Maple, a comic store, a couple toy stores, several banks, plenty of dessert joints & gyms, some home good & furniture stores, a local post office and library, plenty of churches and a handful of medical office. A couple supermarkets and big box stores located on edges.”

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* So so density for an urban area.
* Limited bike lanes and really no direct bike connection to Dwtn. A handful of dedicated bike stations in the neighborhood.
* Limited racial diversity as this is at least an 80% White district.
* About half of the housing stock is pretty bland mid-century post war housing or ranches. Best historic residential is in the County Club district. Also some good 20s and 30s modest homes concentrated around Maple Street the commercial district.
* Outside the core 4 blocks of Maple, the street becomes a mixture of residential, mixed use, and stroad. Streetscaping generally isn’t great outside of the Core of Maple. Radial Highway and 72nd are both poor quality stroads but at least have disinvested sidewalks.
* And a handful of urban infill apartments. Some autocentric infill as well on the stroads mentioned above.

Downtown Omaha, NE

Downtown Omaha developed as the beginnings of Omaha in the 1850s. The Union Pacific Railroad was quickly headquartered here in 1862 and the town exploded. Downtown first developed north of the Union Pacific Railroad station in what is now called The Old Market. The warehouse district has mostly been preserved and is now a bustling walkable district and Omaha’s most important tourist area. Just Northeast of here was the Jobbers Canyon, a large area of massive warehouses. Sadly this was torn down in 1989 but thankfully much of the area has been transferred into high quality Dwtn park space. Another notable historic district was the Sporting District, famous for crime and prostitution in Omaha in the late 19th century and early 20th century. This historic area at 16th and Harney street has some of the best preserved buildings from the turn of the century in Dwtn. Much of the core of Dwtn has been transformed into the outstanding Gene Leahy Makk and the riverfront contains the expansive Heart of America Park and extensive riverfront park space. Lots of dead spaces on the western edge of Dwtn and especially north of I-80 (outside of Creighton University). But some good momentum building with lots of mixed-use development surrounding the ballpark and some good in-fill around Capitol Avenue. The 20 -acre Mercantile development should break ground soon and will help fill in some of Omaha’s dead blocks near Central High School. Also some good momentum north of the Ballpark with the Millworks Commons development, which is a 50 acres urban redevelopment project.

Overall Omaha has 8 Billion dollars of redevelopment planned along with a new streetcar project to connect to Midtown. This will go a long way towards reenergizing its many dead spaces that have persisted for decades along the western and north edges of Dwtn. I wish more Downtowns had this level of ambition.

Click here to view my Downtown Omaha album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Decent density for an urban district. Very vertical skyline for a City of this size.
* Generally solid sidewalks and ADA infrastructure. Some ADA curb missing on the edges of the Dwtn & the Old Market.
* Quality public transit in the Pre WWII part of Omaha and some of the post WWII development but really only with in the City limits. The western suburban third of Omaha has virtually not public transit options and similar situation in the suburbs with the except of some public transit service in Council Bluffs.
* Thankfully not a full inner belt around Dwtn Omaha but still two highways cutting on the edge of it.
* Pretty good Bike share system across Omaha with especially good service in Dwtn and Midtown but decent service is several other neighborhoods.
* Great racial and economic diversity living in Dwtn.
* Decent # of activities for kids including Children’s & Science Museum. a minor league ballpark, and several large parks.
* Public elementary and high school within Dwtn and one elementary school located just north of Dwtn. All are poorly rated.
* Good array of rentals and generally very affordable. Studios lease for $600-1.4K, 1-beds anywhere from $700-2K, 2-beds for 1.1K-3K, and 3-beds are generally pretty limited. Decent for sale options. 1-bed sell btwn 200K-600, 2-beds for 400K-900K, and a decent # of 3-beds in a similar range with some 1M condos.
* Dwtn is generally safe but has the standard American Dwtn issues of homeless and drinkers. Plenty of dead, and gritty spaces on the edges of Dwtn that invite this.
* Dwtn has some World Class parks that many American cities should be envy of including the Heart of America Park with a lagoon, extensive riverfront park, Gene Leahy Mall with diverse amenities and a outdoor stage, Lewis & Clark Landing Park, Miller’s Landing Park and a handful of smaller plazas.
* Good student population thanks to the 8K students add ending Creighton located on the north edge of Dwtn. Not much else however.
* Solid amenities including plenty of food & beverage businesses, several art galleries & live music venues, good # of museums & historic sites, several performing arts centers including mostly modern ones. Other amenities include a ballpark, a couple arenas, a large convention center, and a modest Dwtn library.
* Decent retail amenities but mostly concentrated in the Old Market. This includes lots of boutiques, clothing stores, antiques, a couple bookstores and specialty stores. Also plenty of dessert joints & banks, and a couple gyms.
* Well preserved warehouse district in Old Town. Decent early 20th century mid rise buildings in the core esp. at 16th and Harney St.
* Nice wide sidewalks with pretty good streetscaping overall. Not as good north of 480.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Generally nicely gridded streets but lots of wide one way pairs and blocks are pretty large.
* Decent Bike lanes within Dwtn but they don’t connect much to surrounding inner ring neighborhoods, which themselves lack bike lanes. Solid bike system in the western suburbs and pretty good in Council Bluffs as well.
* Overwhelming downtown population is either students, young professionals or empty nesters.
* While Dwtn’s park amenities are great I would like to see more smaller parklettes and plazas spread throughout. They are very concentrated along the Riverfront and the Mall moving perpendicular from the riverfront.
* Maybe 30K jobs in Dwtn Omaha. An ok number and Civic leaders are really trying to add another 30K of jobs even after the pandemic.
* No supermarket or drug store dwtn. Only a couple churches dwtn. Limited retail options outside of OId Town especially non-food and beverage businesses.
* Lots of dead space Dwtn outside of Old Town and the Arena District. Eastern side of Capitol Ave is fortunately starting to fill in.
* Decent urban infill along parts of Capitol, surrounding the ballpark, and around Gene Leahy Mall. But most modern buildings are soulless mid-century towers with limited street life creating significant dead zones dwtn.
* Lots of surface parking lots Dwtn especially the western half of dwtn but even more so north of 480.