Project Description

In an urban design studio focused on community service learning, we worked closely with a local arts organization for children, Juxtaposition Arts, to discover the needs and desires of the vibrant but underprivileged Broadway neighborhood in north Minneapolis. The neighborhood is adjacent to the Mississippi River but has no destination to draw residents there. I designed a site along the river that would provide a unique family-friendly, arts-activated destination for the residents of the Broadway neighborhood.

The Gateway Arts Village and Broadway Beach are for families in the Broadway neighborhood. Located on an under-utilized 2 acre site along the river with views of downtown Minneapolis, it brings together multi-use development, arts education, urban food production, recreation, ecological restoration, and family fun. The site features a river-side sculpture garden, terraced community gardens, sunning decks along the shoreline, restored native grasslands, an art gallery and studios, local cafe with community kitchen, and live-work residential units for local artists.