I like living in Highland Park, Saint Paul. I like being half a block from the river and having a bustling retail district and light rail connections as well as Minnehaha Regional Park and the restored Coldwater prairie. I like being able to bike to work along mostly parkway and riverfront and even a historic site and state park.
However, this area has serious flaws. As I walked on this beautiful day to get 1) a shot of espresso and 2) some dish soap I had to be hyper-alert for vehicles. It seems like they are either going 40 miles per hour or they are idling in a blocks-long traffic jam on Ford Parkway.
In addition there are some really ugly spots. I see a lot of parking lots, and most of the retail district on the south side of Ford Parkway is in fact a strip mall. There is a huge parking ramp right in the middle of the hill.
Somehow, parts of my neighborhood do not even have sidewalks.
This could change with increased density. Perhaps redeveloping the former Ford vehicle plant will bring better land use. But recently a city councilmember proudly wrote an editorial in the neighborhood newspaper highlighting further building height restrictions he had helped enact for the area.
pseudoisaac 