An ambitious urban renewal project for downtown east Minneapolis includes a new stadium, office and apartment buildings, and a light rail line, embracing a 4.2-acre public open space called The Commons. This will be the city’s first intensely-programmed park, to be managed by a not-for-profit conservancy that aims to create, with minimal use of public funds, a new outdoor experience for locals.

Town Square is the adviser hired by the conservancy to create their governance model, define their program, and prepare their operations.

Featured

Rendering of the Commons as seen from the proposed U.S. Bank Stadium. The great lawn is the main feature of the eastern block, while gardens and woodland identify the western block.

Birdseye view shows contrasting treatments of the Commons blocks. In the foreground, trees surround gardens and shaded paths; in the adjacent garden, trees frame a great lawn.

The Commons will invite year around use. This rendering shows wintertime activity against a background of the new stadium.

The Commons is a the heart of a revitalization plan for the East Downtown section of Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Commons by day