{"id":37,"date":"2015-08-31T14:56:13","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T14:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/?p=37"},"modified":"2023-01-25T16:17:35","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T16:17:35","slug":"bridging-a-gap-between-two-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/2015\/08\/31\/bridging-a-gap-between-two-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Bridging a gap between two communities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Augsburg is known for maintaining strong relationships with nearby communities. Whether it be supporting local businesses or serving our neighbors, Augsburg students, faculty, and staff take full advantage of our urban location. However, connection to one nearby neighborhood is made more difficult by the the divide\u2014both physical and perceived\u2014created by I-94. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Directly south of Augsburg\u2019s campus on the other side of I-94 is the eclectic and vibrant Seward neighborhood. Despite its relatively close proximity to campus, Seward seems much farther away than it really is. The existing pedestrian bridge over I-94, located between 22nd Avenue and 24th Avenue, is narrow, dark, and hidden behind the freeway soundwall on both sides. It is also disconnected from the street grid. It feels remote and unsafe and, as a result, diminishes the connection between Seward, the Augsburg campus, and the broader Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Augsburg College and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sewardredesign.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seward Redesign<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (a nonprofit that provides community development services) are partnering to pursue the design and construction of new pedestrian bridge that will provide an inviting, safe, accessible, and visible connection between the two neighborhoods.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to activating economic, social, and environmental growth for the two areas, the bridge will also serve as a tangible example of an anchor institution like Augsburg, partnering with a community development corporation on a project of shared value.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The benefits of a new, pedestrian-friendly land bridge over I-94:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will strengthen Augsburg\u2019s connection to the Seward neighborhood for service-learning opportunities at local organizations such as Bethany Lutheran Church, Seward Montessori School, and Northern Clay Center, among others.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will provide convenient access to the Seward neighborhood\u2019s many amenities, such as restaurants, retail shops, arts and community organizations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will encourage greater use of Murphy Square Park by Seward residents, as the closest public park in an area without much green space.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will draw more people into the Seward neighborhood for business and retail transactions, which will help support the neighborhood economy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will help provide Seward residents with easier access to services and jobs at Augsburg, Fairview Health Services, and the University of Minnesota.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will create a model for how neighborhoods that have been divided by freeway construction can reestablish physical connections over the freeway to build community, stimulate economic development, and improve pathways for pedestrians and bicyclists.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Crossing boundaries to pursue design and construction of a cutting-edge bridge<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oaala.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oslund and Associates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and Linda Figg of <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.figgbridge.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FIGG Engineering<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, have been retained to complete a feasibility assessment for a new bridge, including a conceptual design. In February, a design charrette was held with community stakeholders to inform the planning and design process. In addition to providing a wider pedestrian and bicyclist crossing, the bridge may feature green elements such as plants and vines, innovative lighting features, gathering space, and an iconic structure visible from the freeway to serve as the gateway into Minneapolis. It would be accessible and inviting to all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of a new pedestrian\/bike bridge has been endorsed by the Seward Neighborhood Group, Seward Civic and Commerce Association, West Bank Community Coalition, and the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, and is widely supported by the community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Dimension 3, Goal 7, Strategy 7: <\/strong>Engage anchor partnerships in developing, improving, and sharing resources that serve Augsburg, our neighborhood, and our wider community.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Augsburg is known for maintaining strong relationships with nearby communities. Whether it be supporting local businesses or serving our neighbors, Augsburg students, faculty, and staff take full advantage of our urban location. However, connection to one nearby neighborhood is made more difficult by the the divide\u2014both physical and perceived\u2014created by I-94. \u00a0 Directly south of &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-strategy7"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions\/254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/augsburg2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}