Linking Transportation Initiatives with Urban Design Options: The University-Cedar Avenue Station

Project summary:

The Twin Cities Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project is planned to connect the downtowns of Minneapolis and Saint Paul along Washington and University Avenues. The line will traverse the Cedar Riverside Neighborhood and the University of Minnesota Campus with a combined West Bank Station at Cedar and 19th Avenues serving both communities. The Metropolitan Council announced the plan to community stakeholders and asked for input in the planning process. The Cedar Neighborhood organization and the University Neighborhood Alliance contacted the Metropolitan Design Center (MDC) at the College of Design to help both communities by assisting with developing an urban design approach that can improve the Cedar Avenue and the LRT Station character by providing an urban design strategy that takes into consideration the development potential brought by the new West Bank Station. Several meetings were required to bring different community and government organizations to participate in the design process with the University Neighborhood Alliance taking a significant interest in the potential design improvements of the LRT West Bank Station.