Equitable, Sustainable Urbanism, Search for Shelter submission to the Lyndale and Whittier Neighborhood Associations
Team: Thomas Fisher, Jospeh Hang, Julie Zhu, project leads; Josiah Hanka, Nantida Thao, Keona Cirulis, Rachel Calso, research assistants
Program: Minnesota Design Center
The Minnesota Design Center's staff and research assistants participated in the AIA MN's Search for Shelter program, working with representatives from the Lyndale and Whittier neighborhood associations to show how their community goals might lead to more equitable and sustainable forms of development on the former K-Mart site at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue.
We recommended that the city should retain ownership of the site and sell development rights to reduce the cost of development; establish a revolving fund in which taxes from market-rate development subsidize housing and site improvements; parcel the site in small enough footprints to enable small, local developers to participate; distribute green space and recreational uses throughout the site to maximize access and use; embrace a core-and-shell approach to housing, as it does for commercial real estate, to reduce unit costs; encourage flexible structures that can accommodate parking, housing, retail, or production activities; allow options like tiny-homes and RV parks in parking ramps, and owner-occupied duplex and triplex housing; incentivize the wide-spread use of roof-top solar panels and ground-level stormwater retention areas, and calm traffic on Nicollet Avenue with pervious paving and frequent bump-outs and crosswalks.
Keywords: K-Mart site, affordable housing, equitable and sustainable urbanism
Funders: The MDC funded this work through the Bush Foundation's Ecosystem Grant Program
Other Collaborators: Sarah Linnes-Robinson, Lyndale Neighborhood Association; George Rishmawi, Whittier Alliance
