HighLight Heading
June 2007
Special Research Conference Issue: Concurrent Sessions
Planning for alternative modes
The Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis
Research into alternative transportation modes, particularly bicycling, took center stage in one concurrent session. Among the presenters was Frank Douma, assistant director of the State and Local Policy Program at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Douma, within the context of urban transportation corridor development, described the history and impact of the Midtown Greenway, an off-street bicycle facility built in a trench of a former railroad right-of-way through south Minneapolis. The project, phased in three parts, has moved from the west side of the city, near Lakes Harriet and Calhoun, east to the Mississippi River and is one component in a much larger regional alternative transit plan. Space for a future transit option such as light rail was also incorporated into the project.
A key lesson of the Greenway project is how broad-based public participation is vital to the successful development of a perceived detriment—an abandoned railroad right-of-way through an industrial area—into an highly valued and widely used amenity.
Douma’s research team, as part of a larger Federal Transit Administration (FTA) study, analyzed transportation corridor development within a framework considering citizen preferences, governance, financing, economic development, and design.
The researchers found that the Midtown Greenway project has been successful in connecting the neighborhoods in South Minneapolis with a large network of recreational and employment opportunities while also acting as a catalyst for redevelopment. Coordinated efforts to combine public-private interests and investments, as well as all five elements (governance, public participation, finance, economic development, and design) played important roles in creating this success.
According to Douma, the lessons learned from the Midtown Greenway project could serve as a guide for helping corridor planning professionals in future projects.
In a related topic about the impact of bicycle facilities on home values, Gavin Poindexter, a research fellow with the Humphrey Institute, described his research conducted with Kevin Krizek, associate professor of urban planning and civil engineering and director of the Active Communities/Transportation (ACT) Research Group at the University of Minnesota.
Poindexter examined data about neighborhoods around area facilities, such as the Midtown Greenway and several others, to find out whether bicycle facilities are an amenity of value. Since bicycle facilities typically provide residents with the opportunity for recreation, more mobility options, and possible health benefits, Poindexter sought to determine how much residents are willing to pay for the benefits associated with living near a high-quality bicycle facility.
Specifically, the project looked at the change in sale prices of homes before and after the addition of a bicycle facility to the neighborhood, using control areas throughout the metropolitan region. Though Poindexter found both positive and negative influences on prices due to the bicycle facilities, his overall conclusion is that such facilities don’t significantly affect home values.
Another Humphrey Institute research fellow, Michael Iacono, presented research examining the detailed relationships between actual travel behavior and distances to various services. In particular, Iacono sought to determine the ease with which a traveler (via any mode, such as a bicycle, auto, transit, or on foot) could reach a valued destination, and what barriers there were to reaching those destinations. This research is part of the Access to Destinations Study, coordinated by CTS, examining the ability of people to reach destinations to meet their needs.