Metro-size solutions to urban problems

[Cotuit]

Metro-size solutions to urban problems

By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn.

[Scott]

Trying to get the suburbs and cities of most major eastern metros to cooperate isn't always easy. Even worse most major cities in the Northeast are highly unlikly to annex any of its burbs until there is a change in perception of the american city. It seems that Canadian cities do it all the time.

[G W North]

Even worse most major cities in the Northeast are highly unlikly to annex any of its burbs until there is a change in perception of the american city. It seems that Canadian cities do it all the time.

The major mergings with Canadian cities in the last 10 years aren't annexations. They are amalgamations forced by the provinces. The cities and people who live in them have no say on whether they will be amalgamated or not. If they did have a say, most of them probably wouldn't have happened. Cities are creations of the provinces, so the provinces can dissolve, amalgamte, or do whatever they want to the cities unilaterally. The local governments have no say in the matter.

[Cotuit]

Cities are creations of the provinces, so the provinces can dissolve, amalgamte, or do whatever they want to the cities unilaterally. The local governments have no say in the matter.

Technically, in the US, cities and towns exist at the discretion of the state. The state could, if it wanted to, dissolve them all. But if anyone in Massachusetts ever even thought about thinking about such a thing, there would be tea in the harbour for sure.

[monsoon]

[sleepy]

While the TwinCities metro council is undoubtedly a good thing for planning, one of its problems is that it only covers the core 7 counties, while the metro area encompasses 13 counties. And this doesn't even include the additional 5 counties in the TwinCities CSA.

Just from my observations going there evey couple of months, it seems that you have that metro council core which consists of the Cities and inner ring suburbs, and everything else outside that, which is sprawling as much as Atlanta.

I live close to the Iowa state line and was surprised and disheartened to discover that the 2000 census placed me within 40 miles of the TwinCities metro.

[MSP]

St. Louis Park is a first ring suburb SW of downtown Minneapolis

Here are some pictures I found(not great quality)

The Metro Council has done a good job of planning so far...but as sleepy said we are sprawling like mad here. In the core 7 counties, they control where city sewer and water goes. So what has happened lately as the core is getting built out is the developers are running out of space to build, pushing them further away from Downtown. A lot of growth is going on in places like Elk River,St. Michael....places that are really out there. They are also beyond reach of the Councils influence, so they can sprawl wherever they want to.

Downtown Minneapolis is doing great also, there are tons of new lofts and condos going up almost everywhere you look.

heres some follow up on this part of the article

"The Met Council is responsible for approving the long-range development plans of about 200 local governments.

With that much control, the council is a perennial target. Opponents say it leaves too much power in the hands of people who aren't elected. (Members are appointed by the governor.) Critics say it has moved away from its planning mission and should be stripped of its sewer, housing and transportation duties.

"We need to get it away from the social engineering of the past 10 years," says Annette Meeks, a Met Council member.

Ted Mondale, a former council president, scoffs at such attacks. He notes that the Chicago Tribune lauded the Met Council's success in overcoming race and class divisions to create public housing in 15 suburbs. In November, the Environmental Protection Agency honored the council for revitalizing contaminated industrial sites and helping create a dozen town centers like the one in St. Louis Park."

The state senate voted to not recommend her as a councilmember today.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/468/4380987.html

I hate it when conservatives label urban planning as "social engineering"

Whatever...

Good read.

[monsoon]

[MSP]

Minneapolis is an impressive city. I went there once as a kid and would love to see it again. Congrats on the LRT.

BTW, welcome to the forum MSP.

Thanks man!