Architecture students create designs for a better Duluth
December 12, 2012 at 6:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
University of Minnesota architecture and landscape architecture graduate students showed Duluth civic and business leaders what their finished projects might look like once the city’s trouble spots are turned into treasures.
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Finally a project geared toward people working and living here.
No restaurants on bridges or pods connected to the outside of buildings shuffling the tourists around.
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Great concept. Smart, educated folks from outside with a new perspective. If we want to attract a new resident, we need to look outside for those fresh ideas that show Duluth as being ready, willing, and able, to join the rest of the world.
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Dredge spoils for wildlife islands? Why not use the stuff to create desireable waterfront property that can be sold for houses and put onto the tax rolls? Something like Erie pier would make fantastic additional residential taxable property. But what do I know? Only that major port and river cities from coast to coast have been doing that for a century and Duluth still hasn’t caught on the that fantastic opportunity.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I am one of these students and a native Duluthian. While your opinion is not a bad idea, the problem is larger than that. First, have you noticed that there is ZERO access to the riverfront for the public between the boat launch near port terminal and Grassy Point park, not to mention only four (maybe five) access roads that allow you to even cross to the river side of I-35 in that stretch of shoreline? Second, how are wildlife islands not desirable waterfront? Seems desirable for birds. Seems desirable for recreation. The desire you speak of is a very private, selfish desire. And if you think we are not intelligent enough to market that kind of experience to draw from a larger pot of money, you are sorely mistaken. Your idea is a problem because we need to retain young Duluthians, not market ourselves for more empty-nesters.
Look forward for a publication of all of the projects presented at this event, and for more ideas from new students a year from now.
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Peter….Where do you expect the funding to come from for these projects? I know they are creative ideas on paper….you need funding to make them a reality. Would you expect government funding or private funding for these projects?
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To respond to your comment below: Yes, I’m sure.
I must not share as bleak of an outlook as others…
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Peter: Money to develop “created realestate” would come from developers and investors. Money for wildlife islands would, if available at all, come from the taxpayer. Don’t you think the taxpayer already has enough burden? BTW: Duluth has had an exploaion of “Seagulls” in recent years. Haven’t you noticed the frequent closing of Park Point beaches, particularily on the bay side of the point? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to correlate the massive increase in seagull droppings, particularily up river on gull island and at the treatment plant, with the increases in beach contamination. And you want to create even more bird-created contamination?
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exploaion should be explosion. Sorry for the typo.
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Peter: Just an FYI, DMIR put the unused ore dock up for sale in about 2002. No takers came forward because the site is heavily polluted and will require a major cleanup when the site is disturbed.
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Thank you for your quesions. I will respond to your two replies here.
Our job as architects, landscape architects and urban designers is to come up with reasonable, deep-seeded plans which will catalyze spending from the middle class. And, as we know, this is where economic growth stems. (http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2011/12/07/10773/the-middle-class-grows-the-economy-not-the-rich-2/) This requires risk and investment. Anything worthwhile does.
I become extremely frustrated with those who refuse to act because they are afraid to fail.
Your comment ( and John R’s) is poignant; these projects do need financial grounding. Unfortunately, I do not have all of the answers, and no single person does, but don’t forget why we even chose to present in Duluth; we are a collaborative profession and the city, Port Authority, Duluth realtors, Duluth planners, WLSSD, AtWater Group and others provided the answers that we don’t have, and believe it or not, those drove the projects, and not simply making things look good – although we are good at that.
Yes, many of these projects would come from the tax payers dollar. The EPA – for one – is a tax funded government agency that I believe millions of Americans are happy to pay taxes to. The EPA would be a large part of the wildlife islands project, for example, and as I’ve mentioned before, we do research, contrary to popular belief. That project would not be as simple as plopping down mud and calling it a day. There are space requirements, planting requirements, habitat specifics which drive the development of those islands, making it an ideal space for more sensitive and desirable species, not seagulls.
We know the many of the sites are contaminated – that’s why we chose them.
But I guess if you’re content to let Duluth fall apart, that’s cool too.
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Dear Peter
Thank you for the reply! Interesting that you make the comment “But I guess if you’re content to let Duluth fall apart, that’s cool too.” Peter, are you sure you are a “native Duluthian”? Because if you have lived here for any length of time you know we have already “fallen apart”. Our roads are crumbling and our water utilities are well over 100 years old. Do you think it might be wise to take care of our crumbling infrastructure before we spend tax dollars on your class projects? We have already invested our money in everything else under the sun including the Great Lakes Aquarium, DECC, Spirit Mountain & many more projects that were supposed to deliver Utopia to our area. We are even in line for high speed rail! Local government has been trying to artificially build our city to prosperity for 30 years. Good luck in school and watch out for potholes!
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How about developing Erie pier? How about developing the old steel plant site? New industry? A factory? I don’t see Duluth getting to 90,000….at the rate we are going Duluth will be below 85,000 by 2020. Government pork projects are about all we can come up with. Private industry…..forget it.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Erie Pier is still a functioning dredge filtration and cleaning facility.
Like I said above, look forward to the publication of these projects and read about project proposals at the steel site, West Duluth, Lincoln Park, downtown and more.
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Peter S – Thank you for your contribution to the conversation. I am interested in reading the report to which you refer. What is the title of the publication and where can we access a copy? Also, what is the anticipated publication date?
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The title of this presentation was called ‘Duluth Futures’, however, I do not know if that will be the title of the publication. I also don’t know when it will be published, but probably in the next 6 months – we just finished the projects themselves, so the documentation is just beginning. The building firm Meteek and Co was our host and representative of sorts, and it will play a big part in keeping these ideas alive in Duluth and pushing the publication forward.
As you saw in the article, we met with a fair amount of Duluth officials, so I think the city will also play a part in making our projects accessible.
See this link for a bit more info: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/design/designatmn/2012/12/student-in-duluth.html
Thank you for your interest and your kind words.
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Ranger, what makes you think that all of these students are from outside the area ? What a slam. Congratulations on a worthwhile project, Peter Stauduhar, native Duluthian who can see the bigger picture here. Keep up the good work.
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