| Ideally located between the commercial nodes at Hennepin/Lake and Lyndale/Lake, the Urban Village is a key demonstration project that will serve as a model for additional housing development along the entire corridor. This project is based on the principles of building transit-oriented development and supporting higher density housing while responding to a mix of incomes. The Urban Village orients new housing to the greenway while reinforcing the north-south streets; it brings the talents of several design/development teams to a concerted effort; it receives key Greenway access ramps with a gracious landscape gallery along the rim; and it engages the Greenway from the surface with significant landscaping and a well detailed public promenade along the Greenway edge.
Walking, bicycling and community-related uses are emphasized in the project, which strives for a comfortable relationship between this small, pedestrian-friendly segment of the neighborhood and the regional trail at its doorstep. This project is an example of true place-making, in that it invites neighborhood residents to use the Greenway Corridor for active recreation or passive observance, to stroll along the promenade or walk to the lakes.
The development of the Urban Village also points to the importance of creating safe and engaging connections to other places - those routes we call the public realm. The rim of the Greenway itself has already been cited as a key public improvement, and it needs to be of the highest quality to send the message that this is an important place to live, work, shop and recreate. In addition, the north/south connections to Lake Street and the commercial nodes must also be redeveloped over time, with clean, gracious walks, the familiar canopy trees that comprise Minneapolis' famed urban forest, and other amenities that make a street successful. | | |
