Comments on: Taking the Alternative Route to Redevelopment: Lyndale Gardens in Richfield, Minnesota

By: Placemaking: Returning a Town Center to Richfield, Minnesota | The GRID | Global Site Plans

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:41:04 +0000

[...] Lyndale Garden Center redevelopment project, which proposes a new sustainable town center in Richfield, Minnesota, is hosting a series of mini [...]

By: Jasna Hadzic

Jasna Hadzic — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:42:19 +0000

Thank you for the note! I definitely agree that community acceptance is an important yet challenging aspect. That said, the developer has addressed that challenge through placemaking – a people centered approach in managing and designing public spaces. A series of community events (i.e. Farmers Market; Winter Market & Festival of Lights) are being held at the site and have proved to be huge successes in both attendance and receptiveness from the community – I will be addressing this topic furthermore in my next blog entry so yes, your comment is very much on point!

By: Michael Jenkins

Michael Jenkins — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:44:39 +0000

Really great article! I believe in terms of challenges to be faced, the initial challenge will be community buy-in, which is dependent of the the makeup and culture of the the area. However, with the developer’s integration of life long learning and a attractive community, that will definitely erase the challenges that will be faced.

My home city of Oakland, California actually turned down the state’s offer to build the live work play community. After seeing a neighboring city benefit from Oakland’s loss, they have since struggled to recreate this type of community.