riverfirst

CONFLUENCE :

A joining or flowing together of people and waters. RIVERFIRST is inspired from the Dakota concept of BDote, a sacred joining of waters. RIVERFIRST restores and expands the idea of confluence to include the joining of healthy bio-filtered storm water tributaries with the river, flows of transportation and information, flows of people, capital and green revenue sources. We join renewal of the Minneapolis riverfront with municipal needs to grow a green economy, provide jobs, join communities with healthy local food and improve the ecological health of the Mississippi River in the 21st century. The RIVERFIRST team is a confluence of creative interdisciplinary thinking, ecological research and design. The TLS/KVA team began with a core of designers who have worked together and share an approach that questions and cultivates the originality of place. The team grew organically through extensive and continuous exploration of the Minneapolis community. Vital local knowledge and experience with ecology and fluvial process, economics and planning, engineering, community development, history and culture has expanded the team and overflowed into the RIVERFIRST Network, a consortium of over 120 engaged citizen consultants, organizations and advisers. This process of learning and listening is a first step that reflects how we will work to move this project forward.

DESIGN

Tom Leader Studio / Landscape Architecture, Berkeley, CA Kennedy & Violich Architecture / Architecture & Planning, Boston, MA Kestrel Design Group / Landcape Architecture, Minneapolis, MN Timothy J. Griffin, AIA, AICP, LEED AP, Director, Saint Paul on the Miss. Design Center David Motzenbecker, Landscape Architect, Minneapolis, MN

ENGINEERING

Sherwood Civil Engineering, Cambridge, MA/ San Francisco, CA / New York, NY InterFluve, Environmental Engineering, Madison, WI / Hood River, OR Knippers Helbig / Structural Engineering, New York, NY / Stuttgart, Germany SRF Consulting/ Traffic Engineering, Minneapolis, MN LBG-Guyton Associates/ Environmental Engineering, Saint Paul, MN

ECONOMICS

Donjek /Development Strategy, Saint Paul, MN Economic Development Services/ Economic Strategy, Minneapolis, MN ConsultEcon / Economic Planning, Cambridge, MA Mortensen Construction / Preconstruction Management, Minneapolis, MN David Frank, Schafer Richardson Real Estate, Minneapolis, MN

MEDIA

Proverb / Graphic Design, Boston, MA Solid Gold / Soundtrack, Minneapolis, MN

PARK RESPONDS TO 21ST CENTURY CHALLENGES

The Minneapolis Riverfront Competition provides a chance to consider how a Park system can protect the national ecological heritage of the Minneapolis Riverfront and the Mississippi River, provide for community health and prosperity and prepare Minneapolis with resilient, multi-tasking and sustainable eco-infrastructure. River access may increase in value as energy costs rise and warming climate shortens winter port closures. Green house gas emissions need to be reduced. Storm water systems must be adapted to accommodate increasing uncertainty in local climate variability. Urban growth must be accommodated. The RIVERFIRST Park considers these challenges as the means to enable a blue & green way of life to flourish in Minneapolis and to attract the brightest creative minds to live in Minneapolis in 2050, when a more mobile work force will have their choice of different regional mega-centers. Our project focuses on the design of strategic relationships between larger social, natural, civic and economic ecologies. Our approach conserves energy and maximizes the beneficial public impacts of the new Park by asking: How can the presence or perceived waste of one system be used to build another? The RIVERFIRST Park proposes a set of creative, inter-related design initiatives that function at multiple scales. Physical concepts for the new Park design are expanded by Park outreach strategies to raise public awareness about consumer choice impacts on the overall River system. These include Park grown food and 1% Park profit streams from RIVERFIRST green lawn fertilizer and clean road salt. A solar Park WiFi network expands public access to existing USGS river monitoring services and provides local and national public education about the ecology of the UMR, attracting world class institutional, corporate and organizational partners to the RIVERFIRST Park initiative. The RIVERFIRST Park proposal is visionary and practical in the 4-5 year time frame and impactful in the 40 year frame of 2050. We want to jump-start a great Minneapolis riverfront park at this critical environmental tipping point. The design of the new Park can be a powerful public force that sets changes in motion.

WATER
As we move forward our technology, understanding, and our values and needs will change - and so will the river. RIVERFIRST is a vehicle for the public to better understand river ecology and can change the way people manage, interact, recreate, and perceive the river. The natural rivers processes of moving sediment, creating beaches and riparian vegetation and our public need for improved water quality and functional ecology together can drive the Park landscape and build a broad base of public support to allow the river to function more naturally. - Lon Mickelson, INTERFLUEVE

RECOVERY OF WETLANDS AREA FILLED IN THE 1950s

Mississippi River global transportation links

WETLAND TREATMENT STORM WATER FLOW

500 FLOOD PLAIN 100 YEAR FLOOD PLAIN GULF DEAD ZONE

Mississippi River nutritional run off

Minnesota Watershed diagram

RIVERFIRST Park offers a comprehensive remediation of the citys storm water management system and its conceptual transformation into a confluence of tributaries that are naturally cleansed by planted bio-filtration designs and returned to the River. The recovery of Northside wetlands, and the design of storm water remediation ravines on the East side integrate Park land with municipal eco-infrastructure, public access to the River and a wide range of recreation activities. As a source of public enjoyment and education, the RIVERFIRST Park shapes new ways for people to engage, recreate and socialize along the river, building public consensus to support the gradual opening of a closed pool and its transformation to a living river.

H E A LT H

MOBILITY

GREEN ECONOMY
COLUMBIA PARK CAMDEN
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GRAND ROUNDS BIKE TRAIL

ST. ANTHONY PARKWAY MARSHALL TERRACE A new Prairie Loop clean bus shuttle connects NE and East by re-using the railroad corridor south of Lowry on the west, the train spur on the East and the Burlington North Bridge. MCKINLEY
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2.0 mi 10 20 1.7 mi 1.6 mi

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GREEN PORT TERMINAL

NORTH + SOUTH COMMUTER RAIL N MISSISSIPPI COOP SHUTTLE 18TH

HAWTHORNE

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SHERIDAN

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NEAR NORTH
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PLYMOUTH
INTERSTATE

ST. ANTHONY WEST EAST BANK

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NORTH LOOP MARCY HOMES I-94 35W

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COMMUNITY GARDENS SCHOOLS SLOW FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS CHURCHES

TWINS STADIUM STATION

I-394
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DOWNTOWN WEST

DOWNTOWN EAST

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A guiding principle in the RIVERFIRST proposal is to leverage Parkland to improve the health of the river and the health of the city and its neighborhoods. Park lands create significant new opportunities for urban agriculture, provide food security, and expand neighborhood access to healthy food and nutrition in ways that build community and build local businesses in organic produce, the fastest growing, most profitable sector of the US food market. Sales of 1% RIVERFIRST clean road salt and natural cleaning and fertilizer products generate Park revenue and raise public awareness of how everyday consumer practices can improve river health and community far beyond the Minneapolis riverfront.

In 2010, the highest energy uses in Minnesota were industry and transportation sectors. RIVERFIRST Park incorporates a sustainable multi-modal and interconnected public transportation system for commuting, recreation, and mobility in the city area. New Knot Bridge bike/ski pedestrian walkways are attached to existing bridges to tie together the North and North East river shore trails, creating a world class recreational and bike commuting network with Nice Ride stations. The new Library Square Park links the River with Twins Stadium Station improving suburban and regional public access to the river on the Hiawatha LRT, the North Star and future Central, Southwest, and Bottineau LRT lines.

RIVERFIRST proposes to use the Park as a catalyst to accelerate the transition from smokestack industry to a 21st century green economy based on logistical transportation advantages, smart and clean tech innovation. Existing train lines are retained for a Green Port, which evolves to a Green Economy portal connecting the city with Minnesota wind renewable energy, and Xcels new Solar Utility providing clean power for electric vehicles and on shore power OSP (cold ironing) for barges, trains and industry and reducing future energy cost risks, noise and emissions. We are fully committed to work with policy makers to ensure that jobs created in the Green Port and River City Innovation districts are linked back to local residents who can bike, walk or take a shuttle bus to work.

OVERALL PLAN
The Mississippi is still a working place for industry, but current economic prosperity is hindered by the dislocated relationship between Minneapolis and its river. When we say put the river first, we mean to renew its strength and diversity as a living ecosystem. 1 In doing so, we also put the health of the city first-physical, societal and economic. The RIVERFIRST design is guided by the dynamics of the river. Where water carves and erodes, we employ the same principles to create ecological stairways that connect the water and communities. Where it deposits new material, we mold this into new Park lands. RIVERFIRST means renewing and using the natural land topography to solve problems. Topographical design in section reconnects Northsides historic Farview Park with the River and new skilled jobs in the River City Innovation District. The Northside Perkins Hill land form enables us to discover available land in section for clean industry and a future Green Port. We create moments of vertical separation between Park Trail and barge operations, allowing Park, navigation, and industry to coexist. Riv2 erbank topography organizes the remediation design of municipal storm water and creates a public Park which provides Minneapolis with flood mitigation and bio-filtration eco-services for the 21st century. RIVERFIRST initiatives create and enhance synergies among existing infrastructures, community and ecological assets. Knot Bridges tie together North and North East Park trails and link the vibrant creative energy of the NE Arts District with the River City Innovation District and Downtown. Real time stream water monitoring from the USGS website is made public with smart illumination along Knot Bridges. Biohaven Islands anchored to bridge piers provide more than 8 acres of protected riparian habitat for migrating birds and endangered wildlife. The River Talk iPhone app and solar powered Park WiFi network provide unprecedented opportunities for local and national public education about the ecology of the UMR, attracting world class institutional, corporate, and organizational partners to the RIVERFIRST Park initiative.

(L) A continuous green bikeway and Prairie Loop Shuttle runs through the former railroad corridor connecting new light industry, riverfront parks, and the Bell Museum of Natural History at the foot of Broadway Bridge

BROADWAY RIVER DISTRICT

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CARVING DEPOSITING

DEPOSITING CARVING

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Minneapolis / St. Paul Grand Rounds Bike Trail Fluvial Processes Overall Plan

(A) An illuminated river weir marks the site of Spirit Island as the eye and soul of the river.

SPIRIT ISLAND

(B) An urban living room for downtown, and a Gateway to the River connected by a Park landscape of day-lighted storm water tributaries to the River.

LIBRARY SQ. PARK

H L E E G F J I K

(D) A major new park extension with urban agriculture reconnects the high point of the city with the river.

FARVIEW PARK

(F) A continuous green Park Trail returns the Riverfront to the public and is designed to rise above barge terminals and coexist with sindustrial property and operations.

RIVERFRONT TRAIL

(H) The Port of Minneapolis evolves to a Clean Energy Port that drives the Citys global and regional green economy.

GREEN PORT

(I) Dramatic high points over look the Mississippi and downtown Minneapolis. Ravine landscapes remediate storm water and form carved stepped eco-stairs for flows of water, people and wildlife.

northeast BLUFFS

SCHERER PARK
(C) A recreational entry point to the river parks for kayaks, bikes, skiers, and runners and Community Arts center.

(E) Expands the Citys medical and smart tech business base, provides a significant new job base and joins communities with healthy local food and the means to grow it.

RIVER CITY

(G) A molded alluvial wetlands landscape is reclaimed to create a civic scaled climate change eco-infrastructure that provides bio-filtration for storm water flows and increased flood protection.

WETLANDS

(K) A restored floodplain landscape for sculpture, visual arts and installation with dramatic views to the Farview Park Landscape Connector. Marshal Block adaptive re-use live/ work housing provides studios, exhibit and gathering spaces to serve the adjacent artistic community.

SCULPTURE PARK

(J) A protected network of floating islands that provide 7.8 acres of riparian habitat for endangered species and migratory birds.

BIOHAVENS

RIVER BANK NORTH : MOLDING THE LAND

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The RIVERFIRST Park system begins with a multidimensional idea of public access. This includes physical access to the river, access to education and information about river ecology and access to jobs, and the full spectrum of tangible community benefits that flow from the 21st century green economy along the river. Physical access has been limited due to non-continuous parcels of city-owned land and industry operations. The Riverbank North landscape design springs from seeing navigations waste products as raw river material with which to build the new Park. We propose a new beneficial and civic use of dredged sediments, which are currently stockpiled on riverfront land and/or sold at very low cost for construction infill. The river sediments become the molded materials from which the RIVERFIRST park and public riverfront trails are made. The first step is affordable, practical and impactful: pro-

vide public access to the River which can coexist with the existing industries. River sediment is molded in berms enabling a continuous pedestrian and bike trail to rise and bridge over the locations of existing barge terminals and operations. This creates an undulating and safe public Park trail along the Riverbank North which can be built today with minimal impacts on industrial property, equipment, and operations. The same process of molding land berms is used with a standard federally funded highway overpass construction to connect to the North neighbourhoods. Our vision is to reconnect the Citys historic high point, Farview Park, with the new Riverfront trail system, extending a great plain of green that bridges over I-94, and providing a direct land access to the River for people, animals, and storm water, without demolition of any existing homes.

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River Bank North aerial Sections through West Bank West Bank biodiversity Top of Farview Park looking at river

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Existing Buildings 2nd Ave North New Street side program Housing Block Commercial/Retail Terrace Tree grove Shuttle Bus Stop Nice Ride Station Existing Abandoned Tracks Bike Path New construction Orchard Washington St. Administration/ Research Lab Manufacturing Truck/ Train Loading Restaurant/ Cafe Frontage Rd West Pedestrian Bridge Industrial Building Frontage Road East

I believe that this design reconnects the north side of Minneapolis to the Mississippi River on several levels: ecology, community, and economics. The community has been poorly served in terms of its portion of the Grand Rounds. The Farview Park program and land bridge is a major public realm community investment. The conceptual reintroduction of water flow from the city reestablishes the neighborhoods ecological watershed. The economic investment enhances neighborhood value to the west and creates job opportunities (for residents) on the riverfront. Thinking about the future park also connected an organically established team of local and national environmental designers to think about the river first-- as a desirable means of community connection and a riverfront Park destination. - Tim Griffin , Saint Paul Design Center

RIVER CITY FARVIEW PARK LAND BRIDGE

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The Farview Land Bridge is the centerpiece for the new River City Innovation District, which draws on Minneapolis expertise in innovative materials, medical, scientific and smart technologies. A zone of four story office and light industrial buildings offset the Parkland tax base. Renovated industrial buildings are adapted for work/ live housing near term. A future education and job training cluster and hotel will be developed along the Lowry Bridge. Farview Park marks the historic high land point in the City. This park will now extend across I-94 to reconnect North Minneapolis to the river, providing access to the center of the River City Innovation district. A new highway bridge includes a community-based urban farm and hoop houses with CO2 harvesting for plants from the highway below. A seasonal storm water stream will descend through a series of public park rooms with pedestrian bridges and land berms. In cooperation with North side community leaders and organizations, RIVERFIRST Park farming offers a new model for local, sustainable urban food production that celebrates diverse cultures and culinary traditions while building local communities. As more people and businesses in the City adopt local Park-grown foods, the more they may question mega-scaled mono agriculture policies which must rely on chemicals and fertilizers that inevitably leek into the river. The River City district will attract corporations such as Coloplast who can recruit employees who value a life style with proximity to Park trails, locally grown and healthy food, and a sustainable commute by bike or shuttle bus. Corporations create a job base that includes corporate employees and trainees, clinics, food, dining and local catering services, banks, health clinics, fabricators, and small businesses associated with rapid prototyping and advanced manufacturing. The RIVERFIRST strategy includes a conference center for continuing and higher education and job training to develop the skills needed by workers and employers in a dynamic global economy.

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a b c d e f g h i Farview Park High Point Existing Neighborhood Neighborhood storm water collection Urban Farm and Greenhouses Daylighted Stream and Landform Park Pedestrian Bridge Farmers Market Barge Restaurant Rail line j k l m n o p q

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Internal Growth
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Barge Theater New Office/Research Waterfront Plaza Riverfront Amphitheater Park Pavillion Barge Restaurant Nice Ride Bike Station 26th Steet Bike Path

External Growth

(Day care, security, bank, clinic, cafeteria, grounds and prototyping)

Development
(Education)

The River City Innovation district on the west side of the river presents substantial advantages to employees and employers. Located adjacent to the interstate, the area is well suited for employers that: value a central location in the metro area and/or quick access to downtown; integrate prototyping or production operations with management, scientific, technical and management professions; and depend on ready access to the unique transportation infrastructure in the area. - Janna King, Economic Development Services, Inc.

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River City and Farview Park detailed plan Potential job growth View from Bridge, crossing over farmers market Section through Land Bridge

Land bridge a Washington St b Farming Gardens c Hoops Houses d I-94 e North 3rd St f

WETLANDS : A CIVIC ECO-INFRASTRUCTURE

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Climate change impacts on the river and Minneapolis are characterized by extreme uncertainty and variability. Averaged climate projection data from the International Panel on Climate Change 2007 simulation models suggest that 2050 temperatures in Minnesota could extensive river water evaporation in summer causing droughts and/or low water events. As water residence times increase in low flow events, there is a greater risk for bacteria blooms, impacting Minneapolis water quality and human health, as well as river biology and wildlife. Evaporated water in the atmosphere also creates the chance for many more damaging summer storms, with heavy precipitation and floods as river soils dry and loose capacity to absorb moisture. These 2050 climate scenarios point to the need for City leaders and citizens to rethink fundamental priorities and make changes, while planning for municipal climate change adaption strategies. The City of Minneapolis and the Parks Board have the opportunity to create a significant municipal eco-infrastructure that is also a place for leisure, community activities, and close daily contacts with nature. RIVERFIRST guiding principles are to develop economies of scope: 1) where every possible infrastructure investment works across multiple lines of business; 2) nest discrete decentralized solutions into larger synthetic Western and eastern riverbank systems and, 3) use triple-bottom-line economics to compare and generate alternatives - where alternatives are more broadly generated based on an integrated strategy to deliver the full range of city and eco- services.

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Wetlands Detail Plan Annual Precipitation and Temperature View from barrier islands Section through the wetlands

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Barrier Islands with bridges Emergent wetlands and aquatic gardens Riverine wetlands Daylighted storm water channels Lowry Hub Training and Education Transit Hub Riverpark Riversteps

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Lowry Plaza South Lowry Plaza North Railroad Terminal Green Port Green Port Office/Manf. Orchards Nice Ride Bike Station

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1951-2006

2070-2099

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Established vegetation Live stake stabilization Depositional Zone Wetland Zone Riparian Forest Storm Water Detention Upland Forest Bike Path

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SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE : GREEN PORT

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Brussels

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Minneapolis Rotterdam

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Memphis

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a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Barge Loading Material Processing / Transfer Rail Line Dredge Spoil land forms Day lighted storm water channels Storm water treatment cells Bike and pedestrian trail Pedestrian bridge Open cell green/vehicular surface Gravity Reservoir / Skate Pond Open space / Storm water corridor Outdoor Velodrome Excel Solar Field / Bio-remediation field Orchard Smart Trail lights On-shore power Electric car charging station A 21st century Park offers Minneapolis a chance to step back and reassess how the citys recycling, heavy industry and port businesses are conducted, what tools and infrastructure are used, and how green house gas emissions can be reduced. If smokestack industries go away or are relocated, it only shifts the site of the problem as aquifers, groundwater, storm water and river are inevitably linked in Minneapolis. RIVERFIRST proposes to use the Park as a catalyst to accelerate the transition from smokestack industry to a 21st century green economy. We imagine a green port, which evolves to a green economy portal connecting the city with Minnesota wind renewable energy, providing clean on shore power OSP (cold ironing) for barges, trains and industry and reducing future energy cost risks, noise and emissions. Minneapoliss first electric vehicle charging stations will be located here. By engaging the land in section, our proposal meets the current Port space needs in half the footprint, densifying operations and increasing efficiencies. Day lit terraces provide storage and workshop facilities with green business incubators and corporate headquarters above, all with strategic logistics access to train, interstate and river. Five green economy corporate headquarters would increase port job density from less than 1 job per acre today to over 1,000 skilled jobs per acre. The plan provides Minneapolis with a Green Port that is also a working Parkland with needed civic scaled storm water remediation ponds, 2 acres of permeable ground surface that provides future climate change floodplain carrying capacity, and clusters of diverse

The Green Port provides global reach, energy efficiency and the competitive logistics advantage offered by multiple class 1 railroads, a river port, an intermodal yard and an interstate. This unique confluence of transportation assets will be of strategic economic importance as energy prices increase and businesses seek to reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining global access. - Janna King, Economic Development Services, Inc.

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floodplain forest. RIVERFIRST begins by providing public access to the river, initiating a comprehensive Park trails system and returning the river shore to the public, allowing citizens to become the catalyst for change. Barge spoil berms are molded and remediated with planting allowing a public Rivershore trail to flow over barge terminals, which can remain and co-exist with the new Park.

Green Port Detail Plan Port vs Green Comparisons View from Port building terrace

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KNOT BRIDGE CONNECTIONS

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CAMDEN BRIDGE PACIFIC BRIDGE
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At the river - 55 Photos Location: The Mighty Mississippi!

Higgens Eye Mussel (Lampsilis higginsii)

The Higgins eye was the first freshwater mussel to receive federal protection, which took effect in 1972Degradation of the Mississippi River in the form of navigation improvements and pollution severely restricted the range of this species. Today, the lower St. Croix River has one of the largest remaining Higgins eye populations throughout the species' range.

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LOWRY BRIDGE

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NORTH BRIDGE

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BROADWAY BRIDGE PLYMOUTH BRIDGE

BNSF BRIDGE

Existing NP-BNSF Bridge a Public Knot Bridge b Viewing Area c Floating Island d River Run Turbine e Solar Panel Array f Wifi Emitter g

A series of Knot Bridges tie the North and Northeast river trails together. Pedestrian and bike/ski pathways attached to existing bridges connect the lower Park river shore trails with higher streets and bridge heads improving ready public access at intersections of development, mobility and Parkland. Commercial clusters are developed at the bridge heads. The existing bridges are logical supports for this initiative, both metaphorically as urban places where people are in closest contact with the river and literally, because they can support pedestrian and bike ways. The Knot Bridges create impactful virtual public connections with the river through Internet based river education programs. Each bridge supports a solar powered

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Park Wi Fi repeater and a system of night time illumination that makes public river conditions recorded from the existing USGS Water Watch system. Possibilities include real time stream flow levels, dissolved oxygen and temperature data that will help the public understand the Rivers metabolism. Wireless devices could be integrated with real time river data. The expanded RIVERFIRST River Talk mobile application could enable the public to listen to the river and observe animals in

their natural habitats through non-intrusive land and water based web cams. This initiative could become a source of income for the park, especially in partnership with local university and research institutions and national conservation organizations that currently do not have a smart phone outreach platform. Citizens of Minneapolis could begin to forge a new relationship with their river, one that they could experience physically and access or share from anywhere.

Knot Bridge and Network Plan RiverTalkfor IPhone, Fish Talk Detailed Knot Bridge View of Broadway Bridge with new Knot bridge

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BIOHAVEN ISLAND HABITATS

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At 2,320 miles, the Mississippi River is a vital migration corridor for 60 percent of North Americas bird species. A protected network of floating Biohavens will restore riparian in-river habitat essential for migratory birds, provide nesting and staging areas and support endangered aquatic and land animals and plants. These include native mussels, blandings turtle, osprey, logger head strike and karner blue butterfly. The Biohaven islands will create over 8 acres of restored habitat and enhance the enjoyment and exploration of the River by kayak. Instead of costly, disruptive hard structures with high embodied energy construction, Biohavens are based on water buoyancy and resilient soft engineering principles that utilize an innovative flotation system made of robust, lightweight geotextiles and 100% re-cycled PET materials. Soil placed on top of the island provides an enduring nutrient medium for plants and shrubs, and small trees. Biohaven Islands can also support harvests of wild rice and native berries, and can be adopted and supported by local organizations or corporations. Existing bridge piers are used to tether the floating islands, and their habitat remediation and restoration mission is consistent with ACE objectives. The shape of the islands is designed to accommodate a river placement and the edges of the islands are protected with solar powered marine pumps (currently used for houseboats) to avoid ice stacking in winter. A downstream island is anchored on springing ropes allowing it to simply move aside if bumped by barges. A hinge connection at the bridge bearing acts as a load transfer for downstream running water and wind. Side stabilization is provided by anchors. All connections would be constructed in a way to allow a safe support during moving water levels.

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Average Water Level Bridge Support Float (Styrene foam) Maintenance free dock construction material: reclaimed plastics, PVC Pivot Point Lightweight soil mix Osprey nest habitat Fixed Island Floating island

A pair of linked, floating islands create 63,000 SF of habitat offers the river a bio-remediation capacity that can absorb 32 kg/day of phosphorous or about (1681 gallons) of dish soap per day, based on the new Minnesota regulation of .5% max phosphates in detergent. In addition, the same pair of linked, floating islands can eliminate 636.63 kg of nitrates per day, removing the nitrate content of about 224 - 25 pound bags of lawn fertilizer! Biohaves are essential, multidimensional habitats.

Aerial Perspective looking north Section through Biohaven Habitat View from Lowry Bridge looking back at the city

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NORTHEAST BLUFFS : CARVING THE LAND

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S E I E S

YEAR 1

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NorthEast Bluffs Aerial East Bank Biodiversity View from river, looking north Section through Bluff View from Lowry Bridge, looking at Bluffs

The RIVERFIRST proposal increases biodiversity in all of the Parks vegetated zones: upland forest, riparian forest, wetlands and prairies. Steep riparian forest areas move from the bluff overlook down to the river. The banks are stabilized with boulders and large woody debris which are essential to create habitat components at the toe. Established vegetation of willows and cottonwoods stabilize the bluff slopes with smaller species will be sedges, lovegrass, smartweeds, rudbeckia, asters, arrowheads, and bulrush, rushes. The North east bluffs support a targeted approach to conservation biology to attract animals that are endangered or at risk. These include native mussels, Blandings turtle, osprey, peregrine falcon, wintering eagles, loggerhead shrike and the Karner blue butterfly. The RIVERFIRST park design for the North East side follows principals of carving produced by the action of river water on the northeast side limestone bluffs. When the river current meets a shoreline with an outside curve, water erodes the bank material over time. It continually carves into the land and creates steep slopes or vertical faces. The North east River bank is composed of resistant material fractured sandstone and tightly packed glacial till. We carve into this resistant material to create ravines and terraces. The ravines allow city storm water to be remediated instead of falling directly into the river. Stepped ravine ecostairs channel water, provide habitat and access to the public to the rivers edge. Carved land material is reused on site to form raised terraces with intimate views of treetop habitats, wintering eagles, and broad overlooks to the river.

Tiny warblers and vireos I have seen on the southern tip of Texas travel this big wide flyway, this river of birds. Of all the places these neotropical migrants cross the Mississippi, this area in Minneapolis is the least forgiving. Today, that now changes. So, lets put the fat back in the land, with giant migrating sturgeon in the upper river again, and sandbars that move around from year to year. Heres the chance we have been waiting for. Lets say goodbye to the scrap and rubbish piles of our past abuses. Please join me in saying hello to a new river relationship with our Mighty Mississippi. Peter MacDonagh, Kestral Design Group

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Fishing Trail a Armor Edge b Established Vegetation c Bluff Overlook d Storm Water Detention e Upland Forest f

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ARTS DISTRICT : BLUE AND GREEN LIFE WAYS

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a Fishing Trail b Armor Edge c Established Vegetation d Ravine Overlook e Upland Forest

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a b c d e f g h i Mississippi Overlook/Belvedere Riverfront Sculpture Park Ravine / Ecological Stairway Pedestrian / Bike through-way Pedestrian / Bike loops Marshall Concrete Residential/Studios Childrens Art Camp Biohaven floating island Urban Farm j k l m n o p q r s t Detailed Plan of East Bank u v Section through Ravine w View of Lowery Hub from Marshall Block x y
Unpackaging Concept

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Arts Plaza and Pavilions Art Greens 13th Street art corridor Bike / Pedestrian Trail Market Rate urban housing Art Center Kayak launch park Recreational rentals / caf Wood raft platforms Year-round swim barge and spa Pedestrian bridge Sloping green Entry Plaza Forest Existing Marina Nice Ride Bike Station

The Mississippi River offers the perfect setting for the Bell Museum of Natural History and/or a Native American Museum. The site near the Broadway Bridge offers a stunning view of downtown, good visibility and excellent access to transit, downtown and the interstate. As the first major arts/cultural institution to locate north of downtown, the museum will anchor a visitor industry cluster that provides employment opportunities and strengthens a revitalized business district on Broadway west of the interstate. - Janna King, Economic Development Group

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U R B A N A G R I C U LT U R E
Providing additional co-ops and community gardens would allow the citizens of Minneapolis and its waterfront an unique opportunity to take part in their own food production. Farmers markets could also take part, selling organic berries, vegetables, and various fruits. Locally grown RIVERFIRST agriculture will be produced, packaged, and shipped from Green Port.

ARTS
Work in art/design/music fields. A Caf culture, with galleries, small music venues, art shows and performance theatre.

RECREATION
In the summer, activities include hiking, mountain climbing, off-road biking, fishing, swimming, kayaking, running, and rowing. There is also a set of diverse winter activities for all to enjoy, such as cross country skiing, snow-shoeing, ice skating, and ice hockey.

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SCHERER PARK : AN URBAN RIVER SHORE

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Scherer Park Kayak Launch Pool View Pro Forma Aerial View of Scherer Park

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Located along the only river bend shore with south/west exposure, the new Scherer Park restores Halls Island and offers a river beach cove with a an amazing skyline view of Downtown. Scherer Park re-introduces the public to the core idea of the river as a living, dynamic eco-system which produces its own landscape of sand bars and shallow pools that shift shape according to winter melts, patterns of sediment deposition and river flows. This is a place where people can get their feet wet, a living landscape which cant be mapped because it is different each day. As a demonstration site for the new Park system, market rate housing and artist work/live studios define the edges of the park, enjoy spectacular views up and down river, and overlook Scherer Park as watchful neighbors bringing people, safety and activity to the park corridor and generating 6 times more in property taxes than the current facilities, as indicated by the outline Development Pro Forma. A community art center on Sibley Street will provide an opportunity for working adults,

youth and retirees to access studio space and develop their skills. Working artists from the area will gain an opportunity to network, teach, and exhibit at the Center, allowing the Park system to link the creative energy of the NE arts district with the innovation capacity of the Northside River City innovation district. A public promenade of timber strips lifts and dips to reveal riparian landscape, creating playful large urban deck chairs for sunning and working outdoors. Park maintenance revenue is generated through local restaurant tenants making use of Northside Park-grown organic produce and locally-sourced food, a swim/skate facility on Halls Island and a public kayak launch. This new park and aquatic landscape space is the central launching point and trail head for all visitors who wish to explore the RIVERFIRST trails by kayak, foot, bike or on skis. Minneapolis residents: Where else can you kayak on the Mississippi in the still of the morning before you go to work?

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Library Square detail plan Aerial view of Library Square Water flow fiagram through site Aerial view of Spirit Island

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Nicollet Mall / Plaza 3rd St. Plaza Forest with caf pavilions Green Storm water collection stream Wetland gardens Cancer Survivors Garden Roof water reservoir Riparian Forest Gateway Daylighted storm water channel Nice Ride Bike Station

This open space creates the much-discussed green urban living room that has been missing from downtown Minneapolis. The park creates the water source and visual center piece of a great forested gateway to the downtown connecting to the river along Hennepin Avenue. Available open spaces and surface parking lots can be converted to surface drainage ways within this native forest. The park is designed as great sloping planes of lawn, emerging from the forest which receive rainfall and gently tilt toward a wetland water course flanking Nicollet Mall and flowing toward the River.

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Our submission for Spirit Island is something we think might be appropriate to recognize the loss of a scared place and mark the living presence of the river as a teaching place. But, we dont think this is a decision that we - or the Jury - can make. This vision of Spirit Island should be considered as a suggestion. The decision for what happens here needs to be made by native people using the process they consider appropriate, including the use of native artists to design it and native people to build it. It will take time to develop understanding, relationships and trust.

The story of Spirit Island symbolizes what has been lost along the Mississippi by European settlement. It would be impossible to restore Spirit Island because the loss is too significant to make it authentic. As an opening to a process led by the Dakota people, the image of a limestone weir is offered. The weir establishes the footprint of Spirit Island and the hole in the river is the first step in asserting this the loss. The inaccessible void evokes a palpable sadness. It is lit from within marking endurance and hope. Each increment in the weir is symbolic of the stages of re-building over the next 50 years: laying a foundation, re-building prominence, re-inhabiting with soil and species, and learning.

RIVERFIRST NETWORK
Research/Institution
University of Minnesota Robert (Bob) Sykes Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture Audubon Neighborhood Association St. Anthony East Neighborhood Association Northeast Park Neighborhood Association St Anthonys Falls River Lab, Jeff Marr Changes in River Morphometry and Water Quality by Patrick Brezonik & Chris Paola - PDF National Parks Service, John Anfinson Historical Information Services, Nino D'Andrea US Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Center Natural Resources and Forestry, Randy Ulrich Cultural Resources, Ginny Gnabsik Hydrology and shoreline, Jon Hendrickson Lock and dams, Leon Mucha Minnesota NPR Minneapolis Star Tribune, Steve Berg Minneasota Digital Library Minnesota Department of Health, Patricia McCann River Studies Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Engineer Research and Development Center Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Kevin Kenow Minnesota Water Science Center, James Stark

Conservation
National Wildlife Federation: Charting a New Path for Minnesotas Electricity Generation and Use Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Bruce Monson National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration CPG Corporation Federal Institute of Hydrology, Hans Moser

With our team, the Minneapolis Riverfront design process has unfolded like a charette, only on a broader and deeper scale than Ive seen before. Since November, this team has pulled together volumes to inform a thorough approach to a complicated river corridor. There are many meeting points in the project area that present opportunities. One of the things that excites us most is the prospect of tying together these junctures in ways that create urban vitality and economic value. Jon Commers, Donjek Associates

Neighborhood development
Emerge Economic Development Services St. Anthony West Neighborhood Organization Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association Neighborhood Development Center Northside Resident Redevelopment Council Bottineau Neighborhood Association West Broadway Coalition Northside Economic Opportunity Network Sheridan Neighborhood Organization Logan Park Neighborhood Columbia Park Neighborhood Association Beltrami Neighborhood Council Harrison Neighborhood Association Hawthorne Neighborhood Council NorthWay Community Trust. Windom Park Citizens in Action Waite Park Community Council Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers Local Initiatives Support Corporation TWIN CITIES RISE! Minnesota Neighborhood Revitalization Program Get to No-Mi Jordon Area Community Council Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

Climate Change Impacts on U. S. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure United States Global Change Research Program Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change National Academy of Engineering, Henry G. Schwartz Jr. Georgia Ports Authority Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Metropolitan Council, Steven Balogh Metropolitan Council Evironmental Services, Kent Johnson Journal of Geophysical Research Minneapolis Mississippi River Critical Area Plan U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Eagle Center Great River Greening in St Paul The Nature Conservancy Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Sustainable Food
Victory 44, Erick Harcey Youth Farm and Market Project, Lucia Watson City of MPLS CPED, Amanda Arnold, AICP Gardening Matters Gotham Greens Bright Farm Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Land Stewardship Project Cornucopia Institute MNPLS Farmers Markets Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service National Cooperative Grocers Association, Central Corridor, CVCV Twin Cities Natural Food Co-ops Eastside Food Co-Op Northside Healthy Eating Project

Energy
The Green Institute Clean Energy Resource Teams Mrs Meyers Clean Day Minnesota Renewable Energy Society Minnesota Department of Commerce Xcel Energy

Green Port
Collins Woerman Minnesota 2020 Inland Navigation Europe Unified Ports of San Diego C40 Cities - Climate Leadership Group Minnesota Post Port Metro Vancouver American Water Resources Association - Green Ports Intiative Twin Cities Businesses The Design Observer: The Water/Front Shift Boston - Barging Through Boston Federation for American Immigration Reform Floating Island International Encore Heureux, Paris

Organizations
Target Coloplast 3M Saint Olaf Lutheran Church River of Life Luthern Church

Biking
Freewheel Midtown Bike Center Nice Ride Minnesota Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition Bikes Belong, Zach Vanderkooy Bicycle City/ HU school of Public Health, Anne Lusk One on One Bike Shop, Andy

Arts
Northside Arts Collective Artspace Projects Inc, Greg Foley Juxtaposition Arts, DeAnna Cummings Biko Associates, William Smith Nicholas Legeros