3 ms·
Des Moines has a large network of skywalks connecting many of the buildings downtown. I think it’s actually a bad idea as far as urban planning is concerned. Wh
by danielecook 9y ago
Des Moines has a large network of skywalks connecting many of the buildings downtown. I think it’s actually a bad idea as far as urban planning is concerned. When you are in the skyways it feels a little bit like walking around a giant airport. They also draw up all the pedestrian traffic and make the city look deserted outside. Not sure if that has anything to do with it but I don’t think it helps.
- zdragnar 9y agoSo do Minneapolis and St. Paul. Let me tell you, they are an absolute blessing in the winter months. Heck, they're nice in the summer months too if you need to cut across a few blocks and don't want to walk amongst the traffic, or it's crazy humid out. IMHO, I think they're really beneficial. MSP / STP will never be the urban utopia that everyone sees NYC or random European cities as in terms of walkability; we've gotten what, a foot of snow between two days in the last week? It's not unheard of for weeks of summer to break 90 or 100 degrees F. Heck, the two cities are only a half million between them; the "metropolitan area" constitutes over EIGHT THOUSAND square miles for a grand total of a little over three million people. Traffic- cars, busses, and light rail- are all here to stay, and that means walking city streets is only as nice as you enjoy breathing exhaust fumes and the noise of tires.
- PopePompous 9y agoI grew up in Des Moines, 50ish years ago, and at that time the downtown area was a dirty, depressing dump that most people only ventured to if they had to go to court. Now the downtown area is one of the most fun parts of the city, and the skywalks were a big part of its rebirth.
- nine_k 9y agoMaybe it helps when the weather is too hot or too cold?
- danielecook 9y agoYep that’s the idea. I was not a huge fan of them.