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Direct Design Assistance: Johnson Street Streetscape Options, Minneapolis, MN, 2005
Johnson Street is located in Northeast Minneapolis. Designated a Community Corridor by the City of Minneapolis, this corridor is home to long-time neighborhood businesses, a number of new commercial endeavors, and a strong residential population. The Quarry Shopping Center-a big box development that includes Target, Home Depot, Rainbow grocery store, and a number of other commercial businesses-anchors Johnson Street NE to the south. The Quarry draws shoppers from the surrounding neighborhood and beyond, yet few outsiders know about the attractive small commercial areas that exist to the north. The Johnson Street Merchant's Association (JSMA), made up of a group of business owners along this street, is interested in promoting their corridor as a destination point, increasing pedestrian safety, and making the commercial areas along Johnson Street more visible and inviting.
The JSMA asked the Design Center to assist them in visualizing improvements to the streetscape along their main commercial district, as well as enhancing the overall streetscape along Johnson Street. The design team created a set of handouts that include drawings and photographs that illustrate options for improving the streetscape along the street. The handouts include ideas for creating a gateway at Johnson Street NE and 18th Avenue NE, options for adding signage into the neighborhood, suggestions for adding greenery to existing commercial areas, and ideas for improving the pedestrian environment around the merchants' parking lot. Balancing the desire to move automobiles efficiently on this north/south arterial corridor with the need to protect the residential character and pedestrian-oriented commercial areas is central to this work. The Johnson Street Merchant's Association plans to use the conceptual drawings to gain support for the project from both the surrounding neighborhoods and the city.
Download: Posters of streetscape improvement options (2.5 MB)
Outcome: The Johnson Street Merchant's Association used the conceptual drawings to gain support for the project from both the surrounding neighborhoods and the city. Several of the design strategies have been implemented.
Credits: The project team included Katie Thering, Frank Fitzgerald, Ann Forsyth, Allison Rockwell, and Malia Lee.
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1 Ralph Rapson Hall, 89 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455, |