Permeating Barriers - Minneapolis, MN

Abstract

Vast neighborhood change has long been characteristic of American communities. Declining physical conditions, social instability, and urban sprawl have all impacted inner city neighborhoods over the past few decades. In the mid 1900’s there was a highlighted trend toward disinvestment in inner-city neighborhoods. Urban sprawl had caused state funding to shift its attention towards metro suburban neighborhoods. This lead to the demise of some inner-city communities, and the proverbial nail in the coffin for some of these communities has been the creation of the freeway system. These freeway systems have created barriers that cut off strong connections between inner city communities. In this project, the main focus is to improve the social and economic stability between two inner city communities through landscape intervention. Also, to reestablish connections between communities over the harsh, confining barriers that the freeway system bestows upon the urban landscape.