LA 403 - Great Urban Streets

A Brief History of Nicollet Mall

Orchestrated in 1967 as a strategy to provide connections in the downtown region of Minneapolis, Nicollet Mall has become a notable prototype for progressive pedestrian streetscapes.

Design Intent

By the late 1950s, post-war urban development had encouraged suburban development and large retail shopping malls on the fringe of the city. In an attempt to maintain commerce within the downtown region, the Nicollet Avenue Survey Committee declared 5 objectives for a proposed street renovation:

1 Improve pedestrian circulation

2 Improve access and use of mass transit

3 Develop an identity/brand for Nicollet Avenue

4 Create a stable retail environment with private investors

5 Establish a transit mall with high aesthetic quality

Halprin’s Influence

Landscape architect Lawrence Halprin was awarded a contract to develop a $3.8 million streetscape that would span 8 blocks of one of Minneapolis’ most densely commercial districts. Borrowing concepts from medieval street that he visited in Europe, Halprin’s design called for a S-shape road alignment that established vistas and offered a variety of opportunities for individuals to interact.

The narrow, calm street welcomed bicycles and metropolitan buses but discouraged any vehicular traffic. Likewise, the meandering of the 80-foot right-of-way enabled the sidewalks to develop enclaves of small, sociable spaces that encouraged urban functions.

Elements of Design

Prior to the design, Halprin had been acclaimed for his successful approach to designing civic and public landscapes such as Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco and the Lovejoy Fountain in Portland, Oregon. Halprin recognized the importance of details and site elements as a measure to successfully scale a space to the human dimension. Kiosk, lighting, benches, bollards, vegetated planters, bus shelters, and banners were a few of the elements that activated the street and provide necessary options for the pedestrian.

Choreography of Space

Halprin has been noted for unique principle of “motation”. By observing urban spaces as a form of sheet music, Halprin would often develop a graphic system that recorded the human movement through space. Various, repetitive elements, such as light poles, provided the foundational Melody, while other spatial characteristics defined areas of intense, Allegro activity or passive, Adagio movement.