Downtown Minneapolis

It is a bit difficult to untangle Dwtn Minneapolis from its surrounding inner city districts. My approach was to include the core of Dwtn and the parts of the surrounding inner city district that feel Dwtn in fabric. I used 3rd avenue/I-394 as the northern border including a couple blocks of the Warehouse District, the eastern edge of Loring Parks as the Western border, Grant St and I-94 as the southern, Fifth Avenue as the SE border as Elliot Park was not included in this evaluation, and the Mississippi River as the Eastern border including both the Gateway and Dwtn East neighborhoods within the Dwtn evaluation area.

Downtown Minneapolis is very much a Midwestern Downtown with its large surface area, vertical modern high-rises accompanied by large plazas and extensive nearby parking garages & lots, wide streets, an extensive highway network inclosing it, and overall a grand and regal feel to it. And outside of Chicago, Dwtn Minneapolis has a strong argument for being the best Dwtn in the Midwest thanks to its large Dwtn population accompanied by big city amenities (supermarkets, a target, several malls, and extensive theaters and live music venues). Dwtn also excels with great sidewalk and ADA infrastructure, an excellent bike and transit network that extends across the entire City of Minneapolis and beyond, great concentration of 3 professional sports venues a top notch convention center, and over 100K employees working here (at least pre-pandemic).

But there are several aspects of Dwtn Minneapolis that are not top-notch that leave the door open for Midwestern cities like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee to claim Midwestern’s second best dwtn title. Dwtn Minneapolis has good but not great park amenities. The Commons is not a strong Civic Heart and outside of the Riverfront and Loring Park, park spaces are limited. Street vibrancy is not what it should be for a Dwtn hosting 20K people. This is largely due to a lack of street boutique retail as retail is concentrated in indoor malls and the City’s extensive skyway system. But it is also due to Dwtn’s wide streets and remaining surface parking lots and extensive parking garage network. Dwtn could also use more K-12 schools making it more walkable to families and should try to increase the number of students Dwtn to add to street vibrancy. Other than post-pandemic retail and office struggles, the trajectory is good for Central Minneapolis. I foresee its population continuing to grow, new mixed-use infill claiming more and more surface parking lots, better car free modes of transportation. But the open question is whether Central Minneapolis will become a great Dwtn more similar to Chicago? Will it perhaps close down the inner belt that separates it from many great inner city neighborhoods? We shall see.

Click here to view my Downtown Minneapolis album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Great density for an Dwtn district and pre=pandemic had over 100K working dwtn.
* Excellent sidewalk and ADA curb cut infrastructure. Only about 10% of intersections are without upgrade ADA curb cuts.
* Almost all of Minneapolis proper has solid public transit access. The City has also recently built 3 light rail lines and many Bus Rapid Transit routes. Public transit service however out to the suburbs is generally only good for 2-4 miles.
* Minneapolis has an extensive bike lane system serving well every neighborhood within the City and including tons of bike lanes even dwtn. The bike share system, while dockless, forces uses to park bikes on City bike racks. Decent bike connections to the suburbs but they are often fragmented esp. to the north and west of the City where there are more lakes.
* Excellent Dwtn Grid. Easy to navigate.
* Good amount of for-sale product with 1-bed condos selling btwn 150K-600K (some luxury product selling for 2 M), plenty of 2-bed condos selling btwn 200K-800K, and a good amount of 3-bed product generally starting in price at 450K but some cheaper product selling around 200K.
* Tons of rental product with plenty of studios leasing btwn $750K-2K, 1-beds btwn $950-2.5K, 2-beds ranging anywhere from 1.3K-4K. Decent # of 3-beds but generally pretty expensive.
* Very attractive skyline with many vertical towers well concentrated in the core of Dwtn.
* Good but not world-class parks in Dwtn Minneapolis. The highlight is certainly the extensive riverfront parks along the Mississippi River which includes the raised Gold Metal Park, Mill Ruins, and the extensive recreation trail. Loring Park on the western edge of Dwtn is also a highlight including the Loring Greenway that cuts into Dwtn. The Commons Park functions as “Civic Heart” of Dwtn. While it has planned activities is pretty bland and not well trafficked. A couple other smaller plazas spread through Dwtn.
* Solid cultural amenities including plenty of restaurants, bars, & cafes, a handful of art galleries & breweries, plenty of theaters & music venues especially concentrated along Hennepin Ave, tons of night clubs, and a couple of museums. Regional amenities include a large convention center, professional baseball, basketball, & football arena.
* Decent college enrollment of about 7K between Minneapolis College, Minneapolis Community & Technical College, Dwtn St. Thomas University, and North Central University but a bit underwhelming for a City of Minneapolis’ size.
* Solid architecture with a good amount of quality historic buildings, attractive midcentury high-rises, and solid modern apartment bldgs.
* Good retail amenities including 4 major grocery stores, a Target, several drug stores, several indoor malls & all the shopping inside the skybridge system, the Dayton Project Dept Store, plenty of salons, a couple bookstores, several dessert joints & gyms, plenty of churches, a major hospital, a Dwtn post office & public market.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Diversity indicators Dwtn are so so.
Too many wide streets including 3-4 lane one way pairs. Too easy to drive into Dwtn.
Schools dwtn are generally small or not rated highly. Best school is the FAIR Senior High.
Certainly some dead spots dwtn but several pretty active areas (i.e. Nicolette Mall, Downtown East, Convention Center)
Vibrancy is ok and could be so much better if it wasn’t for Downtown’s extensive skybridge system, many autocentric uses, parking garages, and parking lots.
Much of the retail is concentrated in the many Dwtn malls and skyway system. Limited amount of street retail that lends itself well to more local boutiques. The pandemic has also not been kind to Dwtn’s retail activity. Some of these smaller shops are located in the Warehouse District which sits on the north edge of Dwtn. “

Hiawatha- The perfect mix of urban and surban amenities on Minneapolis’ southern edge

Hiawatha is a stable early-mid 20th century neighborhood on Minneapolis’ southeastern edge bordering Minnehaha Falls. For many Hiawatha is the perfect mix of suburban and urban amenities boasting good public transit and bike amenities, great parks, above average access to schools, high levels of safety, good housing diversity, and some retail and cultural amenities.

Historically, Hiawatha’s population was pretty stable in the post war era hovering around 5,500 and never really experienced disinvestment. Minneapolis’ pro-housing policies seems to have paid off here in Hiawatha as several new apartment and condo projects along the western edge of the neighborhood the district have increased the neighborhood’s by nearly 1K residents. This is a great example of densifying a low-medium density district that is in high demand and combating decades of exclusionary housing practices. Hopefully the district can continue to increase housing helping the neighborhood to diversify and avoid major price increases. I’d also like to see the taming of the Olsen Memorial Highway into a more urban friendly street. Lots of potential to build more dense multi-family housing here as it is runs along a train line. Also opportunities to create more mix-use development along Minnehaha Ave as it already has some retail uses. The neighborhood could use a lot more walkable retail amenities.

Click here to view my Hiawatha album on Flickr

URBAN STREGNTHS:

Great access to transit and decent bike share infrastructure. Dwtn is pretty convenient but not as good as the inner city neighborhoods.
Great sidewalk and ADA infrastructure.
Excellent park amenities thanks to the expansive Minnehaha Regional Park on the southern edge of the district and the extensive River Way Parkway in additional a couple other smaller parks.
Overall a very safe community.
Excellent tree canopy.
Some nice historic architect with attractive homes from the 1930s & 1940 but also plenty of plainer mid-century architecture. So nice modern mixed-infill as well.
Good diversity metrics, but especially age diversity.
Solid walkable school access including several well rated elementary schools. Only one middle school and the high school is the adjacent neighborhood but its well rated and relatively walkable.
Pretty good for sale diversity. Decent # of small 1-bed homes selling btwn 125K-300K, 2-beds btwn 160K-400K but also a couple of new condo bldgs with units selling in the 400K & 500Ks. 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 150K-800K with a handful of million dollars newer units.
Decent # of apartments concentrated on Hiawatha’s western edge but pretty expensive for Minneapolis.. Studios and 1-beds lease in the low-mid 1Ks, 2-beds in the high 1Ks and 2Ks. Limited 3 & 4 beds

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Some cultural amenities including a handful of restaurants, bars, a brewery, and cafes. Also a dance studio and a cinema a couple blocks north of the district.
Pedestrian activity is pretty limited.
Pretty low density for an urban area.
Retail amenities are limited to a supermarket, drug store, a couple salons, a dairy queen, a gym, a couple churches & medical offices.
The main drag in Hiawatha, Olsen Memorial Highway, is very autocentric with only a few stores. It also has a fair amount of warehouses along it. Better urban form along Minnehaha Ave but only a limited amount of commercial and mixed-use development. A couple good nodes especially at 46th St.”

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. “