The Duluth Creative Corridor
Today’s reading material:
PDF of the full report | PDF of the executive summary
News release from the city of Duluth:
“Duluth Creative Corridor” report outlines vision for Duluth’s East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront
Mayor Don Ness, the City of Duluth, Duluth LISC, and community partners released The Duluth Creative Corridor report at a press event today. This report outlines progress and recommendations of a team of national experts that visited Duluth in 2005 and again in 2011 as part of a visioning process known as Duluth East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront Charrette.
The report was created by the Duluth Progress Advisory Panel from the University of Miami School of Architecture and a team of Knight Community Building Fellows and follows up on the results of a week-long public design workshop and visioning process that began in 2005, known as the Duluth East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront Charrette and includes recommendations for Duluth community leaders, businesses and others to use in order to move forward with the Charrette vision and position Duluth to become one of the country’s great urban spaces. Duluth East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront Charrette was made possible by a grant from the Knight Foundation.
In its 2011 visit, a group of national experts in transportation, housing, and urban planning conducted a mid-course review of progress in achieving the guiding principles and recommendations from the 2005 Duluth Charrette. Roughly 200 community members representing over 35 organizations convened in 12 separate meetings to talk about the arts, marketing and branding, economic development, connectivity, and housing in the Charrette focus area.
The team’s conclusion was that the progress had been extraordinary and that in six years Duluth had accomplished what it would take many places two decades to achieve. As part of its process, the team focused on identification of key next steps in achieving distinct, vibrant, walkable urban spaces that would attract new investment, residents, and businesses in the East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront District.
This process was sponsored by the City of Duluth, Duluth Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Greater Downtown Council. It was funded in large part by the Community Opportunity Fund and the Knight Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, with additional support from Minnesota Power, the Duluth Economic Development Authority and Duluth LISC.
I hate to make the first posting on this a snarky one, but given the proud Duluth tradition of apostrophe misuse, well … how can I resist.
“Duluth is ready to compete with great urban places like Boulder and Ashville that are mecca’s for young creatives and outdoor enthusiasts.”
What is wrong with the words “meeting” or “symposium” … charrette??? And yes, I looked it up.
Yes, I also hated making the second post on this topic a snarky one.
but given the proud Duluth tradition of apostrophe misuse
Lets just call it the Duluth Apostrophe and make it our own.
I think some of the more interesting aspects of this report are the suggestions to open Superior St. to the lake and lakewalk. It’s toward the end of the main report. It starts with suggestions to cut down a lot of the blocking greenery, repeats the dreams of turning the hole next to LPOE into a promenade, and of radically changing how I-35 goes through the area. Suggestions include covering it all up, making it a boulevard, etc. Interesting stuff.
Around page 47
Since Im not inclined to read it, were there any thoughts on lifting the Lakeside 1920’s era Prohibition…on beer and wine anyway?
So that the one half of town you never go to, can also have an economy and live music? The 500 other times I’ve mentioned this where no one has responded has led me to believe many of PDD’s prominent leaders have never been/never heard of/never go to Lakeside. And why would they? It’s as though it already doesn’t exist.
And if that’s the case, then why did my neighbor, who for credibility was the first person busted for drugs at Denfield, say that East is where all the nuclear physicists are from? Don’t they enjoy culture too?
Herzog, it’s Denfeld, not Denfield. Plus, your neighbors voted against liquor in Lakeside in 2008 by one vote? Did you vote? If not, you can literally blame yourself. If you did, you can easily find someone in Lakeside whose fault it is.
But hey, Starfire made a t-shirt. In my book that means PDD did its part.