Final Progress Advisory Panel Report - Knight Program in ...

In other words, if you want to market something, make sure
that something really IS what you’re marketing.
Capitalize on the Big Mo
The post-charrette visit brought together an impressive number
of agencies and voices focused on the next steps for this
remarkable city. Do not lose that energy and momentum. The
panel recommended updating the city’s messaging and communications
as soon as possible. The point is not to wait.
Many good ideas were put forward by participants, some of
whom mentioned that it was rare for them all to be in the same
room at the same time. Take advantage of that spirit. The U.S.
economy is reviving, if slowly. As it rebounds, Duluth should
be ready for it.
Planning, Urban Design, and Connectivity
Various improvements to planning processes and urban design
and development regulations and expanded public improvements
for connectivity will help achieve the goals and vision
of the Duluth Creative Corridor, the Superior Street and other
arts nodes, and other urban living opportunities (depicted to
the right). In addition to the progress already made, the panel
provided a number of additional recommendations in the areas
of planning and urban design actions, corridor connectivity,
and development policies and implementation capacity.
The Duluth Creative Corridor (in yellow above) includes an urban
living area that connects the downtown and waterfront with the
Hillside campuses and arts and entertainment nodes along the
corridor. A branded, high quality transit line (denoted in red above)
connects the district and major destinations (yellow circles above)
within it.
Planning and Urban Design
The panel recommended a series of planning and urban design
actions for the Duluth Creative Corridor and, within it, the
Superior Street Arts Node as the first of several strategic focus
areas within the corridor. For the full corridor, recommendations
were to:
In Delray Beach, Florida, attention to design details facilitated
development that retained the city’s traditional character and
promotes the balance of uses needed to promote compact, pedestrianoriented
growth that benefits small businesses. The city focused on
how buildings address the street and used parallel parking and street
trees to shield pedestrians from vehicles. The wide sidewalks enable
leisurely walks and outdoor dining.
• Formally adopt (both a city and Metropolitan Planning Organization [MPO] action) the Duluth Creative
Corridor as a distinct, mapped, Compact Urban Area for application within the functional classification
system used in transportation planning. (The functional classification system groups streets and highways
into classes or systems based on their most logical use and how they function in a larger road network.)
Discussed in more detail in the Unified Development Code, form-based district recommendations, that
adoption brings land use and transportation planning together in a legal way that has not been done before
and enables the walkable streets that are essential for an urban district.
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