No big bucks needed for Complete Streets!

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When I was in New York City a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to get together with Nolan Levenson, a Macalester graduate who now works at the NYC Department of Transportation. We met near his office on Water Street in lower Manhattan to talk about ways the City of Saint Paul might apply some of New York’s successful Complete Streets implementation tools, then took a brief tour of the Wall Street area. What he showed me provided convincing evidence that it doesn’t have to take many years and a lot of money create a more walkable, bikeable, livable city, even when streets are narrow and budgets constrained. Continue Reading

Find a lost dog? Do these 6 things stat

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As much as we don’t want anyone to lose his or her dog, sometimes it happens. Despite our best intentions and our years of dog-owning experience, sometimes our dogs get loose, especially around holidays like the 4th of July (thank you, fireworks) and Halloween (frequent opening and closing of doors, scary masks, constant doorbell ringing, etc.). Continue Reading

Coffee around Macalester

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There are few things I love more than coffee. The taste, the smell, the energy boost it gives me: I don’t know how I would be able to function without it. Thankfully, I don’t seem to be alone in that front at Macalester. It’s not uncommon to see scores of people walking to their morning class with a tumbler or cup of coffee, and there are plenty of places right around campus where I can get a cup of coffee (or tea, if I’m in the mood.) The coffee shops around campus are amazing places to study, chat with a professor about a paper, or take a study break and catch up with a friend. And as I’ve slowly branched out and explored the Twin Cities beyond Macalester’s campus, I’ve found more and more places that have great cups of coffee. If you’re ever up visiting Macalester, walk around the neighborhood and pop into one of the se shops – you won’t be disappointed! Continue Reading

Ford Parkway reconstruction: Close but not quite

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Here is my open letter to Ramsey County Public Works. I know I’m late to this process and honestly don’t expect them to change their plans (which can be seen here [large PDF]). I will preface this by thanking Ramsey County for putting in any bike lanes, but if no one demands better then we can’t expect better. Continue Reading

Community health overview: Vietnamese Americans

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According to the 2010 U.S. Census the eight largest Asian American populations in Minnesota are the Hmong, Asian Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, Laotian, and Cambodian communities. Specifically, 27 percent of the total population identify themselves as Hmong, 15.5 percent are Asian Indian, 11.7 percent are Chinese, 11.1 percent are Vietnamese, 4.9 percent are Laotians, and 3.9 percent are Cambodians (See Figure 2).[i] Continue Reading