What would an aerotropolis bring to Milwaukee? What does Milwaukee need to do to get there? Better yet, what is an aerotropolis? I recently completed reading Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next by Greg Lindsay and John Kasarda, and couldn’t help but continually think about how the idea of an aerotropolis fits with Milwaukee.

According to leader of the aerotropolis movement, John Kasarda, “an aerotropolis is basically an airport-integrated region, extending as far as sixty miles from the inner clusters of hotels, offices, distribution, and logistics facilities.” My initial reaction when I first heard of the idea of an aerotropolis coming to Milwaukee was that it would be merely be a tool used to subsidized sprawl-patterned warehouse development near General Mitchell International Airport. After reading the book (review coming later this week), I remain leery of a potential outcome similar to that locally, but now know that the idea encompasses far more than just using land near the airport for warehouses.

I took away two key goals from the aerotropolis concept that seem applicable to Milwaukee. First, seek to derive as high as utility as possible from airport the aerotropolis is centered on by reducing friction to increasing service and planning the land around it. Second, provide the best possible multi-modal connections between the airport and the city to maximize the value the city derives from the airport. The general principles are likely very similar to what happened when sailing or railroading were the fastest mode of transportation, the cities that could best take advantage of the connections the transportation mode provided were more likely to flourish.

So how does Milwaukee maximize the utility of General Mitchell? It seems incentivizing logistics operations, both big and small, to locate near the airport and making land available for them to do so is a logical first step. To maximize the value of those companies that locate near the airport, it should be made as easy as possible for them to get to the airport, but strong consideration should be given to encouraging a compact-development pattern that maximizes available space, allows transit to best serve the area, and overall makes the area more attractive. The same compact-development pattern should be applied to new hotels and other developments near the airport, this will serve to make the area more visually attractive and make it easier to provide the amenities that will attract individuals and businesses to the hub of the aerotropolis.

Ultimately, planning for orderly development around the airport will make the region as a whole derive more economic benefits from the airport. Kasarda advocates for development that is locally dense and globally connected, the density portion of which is currently missing from the area around the airport. By building more compactly near the airport tax revenues from the area will be maximized. Likewise, potential future rail or express bus connections (possibly via accelerated service on the proposed Milwaukee Streetcar) to downtown will have a much higher utility by providing access to more thousands more jobs than just at the airport itself. Providing better multi-modal connections will not only increase the options for Milwaukeeans looking to access the airport or nearby jobs, but will encourage more visitors by reducing the cost of their trip by eliminating the need to rent a car. Compact, transit-oriented development patterns are what Kasarda is advocating other cities use (the book uses Mesa, AZ as an example), and it’s wise if we take advantage here.

Key Points on the Horizon for an Aerotropolis in Milwaukee

Relocate downtown USPS central facility to the airport

The groundwork is already underway for this, but it’s going to benefit three parties. One, USPS should benefit from a new modern facility close to the airport. Two, the Gateway to Milwaukee district will land a large new employer. Three, downtown Milwaukee will have new riverfront land available for development adjacent to the recently renovated Milwaukee Intermodal Station and along the proposed Milwaukee Streetcar system.

Better connect downtown with the airport

Interstate 94 currently connects General Mitchell International Airport with downtown Milwaukee (the largest jobs hub in the state). Those coming from out-of-town via the airport obviously don’t have cars and those in Milwaukee heading to the airport may not wish to pay to park them. Other connections are needed beyond the far too slow Route 80 bus and expensive airport shuttles. Lindsay refers to the failure of most American cities to connect their airports to downtown with trains as something that will go down “as yet another of our great infrastructure blunders.” Kasarda advocates for rail connections because every stop on the way to the airport becomes a transit-oriented development opportunity that maximizes the value of the airport. A rail connection to downtown makes no sense until there is rail service throughout downtown from the Milwaukee Streetcar, but once that system is in the ground it seems wise to invest in providing more express service between the airport and downtown. Portland may be the best example of this I’ve seen in person, where the light rail stop at the airport is as accessible as a flight gate and provides a single seat ride into downtown.

Continue to foster increased competition at the airport

Milwaukee has benefited from competition between Southwest and AirTran. Despite their coming merger, airport officials should seek out any way possible to keep the competition between airlines going. Ridership at General Mitchell is up thanks to lower fares from increased competition, and that’s good for Milwaukee as a whole.

Foster more inter-city passenger rail connectivity with the airport (Amtrak Hiawatha line expansion)

The aerotropolis concept took a hit when Governor Scott Walker refused the high-speed rail funds to expand the Hiawatha line to Madison, and plan for expansion to the Twin Cities. This would have provided passenger rail connectivity between downtown Madison, Watertown, Oconomowoc, and Brookfield with General Mitchell. This would have made it easier for Wisconsinites to fly out of General Mitchell, and made it more attractive for tourists to fly in. Thankfully the Amtrak Hiawatha Service connection still links the airport with Chicago and its north shore suburbs, encouraging passengers to avoid the congestion of O’Hare and Midway for the comforts of the Recombulation Area.

Be strategic and targeted with any tax incentives (AKA avoid the St. Louis debacle)

Gateway to Milwaukee definitely should provide incentives for firms with air-based logistical components to locate their the airport, similar to how the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee 7 have targeted “green” firms such as Helios and Ingeteam to locate in the Menomonee Valley. These incentives should be individually targeted through, and restricted to firms utilizing the airport. Missouri, and St. Louis in particular, has a mess on its hands in regard to a proposed state tax incentive program for an aerotropolis development targeted at Chinese Air Freight that is ripe for abuse many are arguing.

Foster connectivity with the Port of Milwaukee

Wherever possible connectivity with the Port of Milwaukee should be marketed as a key component of Milwaukee’s aerotropolis development strategy. Companies that have needs that involve just-in-time delivery by air, as well as massive parts delivered by water could take advantage of the proximity the port and airport have to one another in Milwaukee via Interstate 794 and the Lake Parkway.

Efforts Underway

I could spend another 1,000 words advocating for various nuances around the concept of a Milwaukee aerotropolis, but instead I’ll end by applauding the regional efforts underway by the Gateway to Milwaukee Aerotropolis initiative which has support from the business community as well as the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, South Milwaukee, Cudahy, St. Francis, Greenfield, Greendale, Franklin, Oak Creek.

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• Fondy Market offers fresh food to city folks, initiates new farm By Molly Synder
• Schlitz Park improves bike facilities in time for criterium Tuesday By Jason McDowell
• In:Site to unveil ambitious public art project Saturday By Mary Louise Schumacher
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• …Milwaukee Streetcar.. By Hanna Seegers

The Moderne

Summerfest!

Beerline B Apartments

B-cycle

Lakeshore State Park’s Urban Fox

Over the past couple of years, there have been a number of public art crises in Milwaukee. This has included the city removing a TRUE Skool mural, the arts community coming forward to save the Janet Zweig project for Wisconsin Avenue, and County Executive Chris Abele recently pulling the funding for a Milwaukee County Public Art Committee percent for art sculpture.

This weekend, IN:SITE’s 2011 IN:SITE “ART ON and OFF CAPITOL” will open:
Saturday, June 25th
Vanguard Sculpture Services, 3374 W. Hopkins Street
4:00-5:30 Tours with the artists
5:30-7:00 Reception featuring exhibit with artists’ sketches and models

This opening will mark the fifth anniversary of IN:SITE installing temporary public art in Milwaukee County. Dozens of local artists have been involved, and support for IN:SITE (money and otherwise) has steadily increased. For the first project in 2006, near 35th and North, the artists received stipends of $100. Thanks to the 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corporation (The Corridor), this year the nine lead artists are receiving stipends greater than $1000 and IN:SITE additionally pays for their cost of materials.

Common Council President Willie Hines says of this year’s project, “Our city definitely benefits from artists working with the community to make a positive impact on our neighborhoods.” From other aldermen to the Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation to the Department of Public Works, the city has helped with funding, hosting sites, and other assistance this year. Safe & Sound, plus a number of neighborhood organizations have provided services.

Why is this happening? I believe there are three reasons.

The first is that IN:SITE uses a “no surprises” rule. IN:SITE makes sure everyone knows about the art. IN:SITE contacts graffiti abatement, traffic engineering, alderpersons, police, property owners, nearby community organizations, and distributes newsletters door-to-door in the neighborhoods.

In addition, IN:SITE spends a lot of time in the community before, during, and after a project is installed. For the 2011 project, IN:SITE has been attending monthly meetings for The Corridor Safety and Security Committee, Hadley Residents Council, the Coalition for Hope, the Century City Tri-Angle Neighborhood Association, and at the Dominican Center for Women.

IN:SITE believes place-responsive public art that is also time-responsive needs to be rooted in more than a cursory understanding of a neighborhood. Getting this sort of grounding also leads to opportunities as IN:SITE becomes aware of resources and needs.

Finally, temporary public art is less threatening than permanent public art. With permanent public art, people have a legitimate reason to get agitated if they don’t like it. It will be there for a long time. With temporary public art, the installations can have content and generate discussion, both positive and negative, and the artists will remove the art (generally within six months). This allows for an exchange of ideas where people don’t feel they have a huge amount to lose. In this exchange, everybody can learn.

To find out more about IN:SITE’s 2011 project, go to http://insitemilwaukee.org/current

Guest Post by Pegi Christiansen:

Pegi Christiansen is a freelance organizer, writer, educator, and performance artist. She is the chair and site manager for IN:SITE, fostering temporary public art.  She is a consultant for public art policy.

At Thursday’s Public Safety Committee meeting a file will be voted on that would authorize the conversion of Wells St. to two-way operation from 6th St. to Prospect Ave.  According to the Journal Sentinel, the Wisconsin Center District Board voted to oppose part of this conversion, in particular from 4th Street to 6th Street, due to “safety” concerns.  These concerns miss the big picture and can be handled while bringing the benefits of making Wells St. two-ways in downtown Milwaukee.

Well Street’s one-way configuration brings an assortment of issues that negatively impact the neighborhood it passes through.  In particular it is common to see cars continuously circling the block, because a parking spot is not easily accessible without circling the neighborhood.  Another direct result of Wells St. being a one-way street, with little congestion, and having multiple travel lanes is that people speed excessively.  This is an all too frequent occurrence.  Additionally, crashes occur when drivers attempt to turn left from the center lane, because the nature of the street doesn’t fit with the location, causing an accident. Finally, it is all to common to see are drivers heading in the wrong direction along Wells St.

A two-way street conversion would alleviate these issues while bringing benefits to the city.  A benefit is that a two-way conversion will make Wells St. more pedestrian friendly, as no longer will one need to cross a “freeway” to get across the street.  It will bring enhanced visibility to retail establishments, drawing in more of the infrequent drivers passing through the neighborhood.  Additionally, for automobile drivers it will actually enhance connectivity by reducing the need to loop around to find a parking spot or a missed intersection.  Finally, it will reduce traffic speeds along Wells St., improving safety for both the pedestrian and the automobile driver.

This change is long overdue and hopefully this is just another step toward a more connected, accessible, and safe built environment in downtown Milwaukee.

Bike-sharing is coming to Milwaukee, or at least to Discovery World for a limited time.  On Thursday June 23rd, from 11am-2pm, B-Cycle, a partnership between Humana, Trek Bicycle and Crispin Porter + Bogusky, will be bringing their 5-bike, demonstration station to Discovery World.   Representatives of B-Cycle will give a presentation, allow people to test ride the B-Cycle bikes, and use an operational docking station.  B-Cycle has rolled out bike-sharing in Denver, Chicago, Des Moines, San Antonio, Kailua, Boulder, Madison, Omaha and Madison.

Bike-sharing can be an effective method of alternative transportation and can act as a pedestrian accelerator allowing the system to replace short automobile trips with bike rides reducing congestion and parking needs.  For example, a system here in Milwaukee would allow users to check out a bicycle to go to the grocery store, visit the Milwaukee Art Museum, or go to dinner on Milwaukee Street without getting in to an automobile.

Milwaukee’s neighboring cities of Minneapolis, Chicago, and Madison have recently implemented bike-sharing systems.   Just recently Madison installed a starter B-Cycle system of 300 bicycles.  Chicago started with a small system of 100 bicycles and six stations, but continues to expand the system.  And even very cold weather Minneapolis implemented a bike-sharing system.  A system that started with 65 stations with 700 bicycles, and due to high utilization added an additional 40 stations in short order.  Minneapolis, Chicago, and Madison show that even a cold weather city can implement a bike-sharing system, is Milwaukee next?

• Milwaukee Mayor Asks Walker To Veto Budget Provisions Penalizing City By James Rowen
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Franklin Square Apartments

Franklin Square Apartments

Franklin Square Apartments – Indoor Bike Parking

Franklin Square Apartments

Franklin Square Apartments Grand Opening

The Milwaukee Streetcar is finally poised to move forward. Following last May’s approval of a preliminary engineering study by the Milwaukee Connector Study Group, the Milwaukee Streetcar project has progressed to the next step in its development. In the next few weeks, the Milwaukee Streetcar project is expected to go before the Milwaukee Common Council for approval.

The route selected will connect the Lower East Side, East Town,  Historic Third Ward, and the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. Designed as a starter system, it is a variation on Alignment 1 originally presented in September 2009, and reflects the restraints of available funding (the city’s 60% share of the $91.5 million designated for new transit capital projects by the federal government), jobs and residential populations, and development opportunities.

The route connects the region’s densest jobs area (downtown) and densest residential area (the Lower East Side). A testament to the connections the route provides.  Additionally, despite being within a quarter-mile of only 2% of the city’s land area, the route connects with 13% of the city’s tax base.

Additional extensions are planned (and are much more likely to be funded once the starter system is in the ground) to Brady Street, UWM and the rest of the East Side, Marquette and the west side, The Brewery project and the city’s northwest side, and Walker’s Point, Bay View, and the south side.

Initial route extensions will target connecting the route to Brady Street on the northeast end, and the Bradley Center, Park East, and The Brewery on the northwest end. With those two initial extensions in place, within a quarter-mile of the route will be 100% of the area’s hotels, 91% of the area’s occupied street-level retail space, 90% of the area’s office space, and 77% of the area’s housing.

While it is expected that everyone would like the route to pass by their own front door, the annual Milwaukee Trolley Loop proves the folly of such an idea with a route that serves everyone and no one at the same time. The rubber-tired trolley buses have a different route year-after-year, delivering neither the ride quality that modern streetcars provide nor the development opportunities that well-planned modern streetcar systems have shown to generate (Portland alone generating $3.5 billion in development within two blocks of the route from their 4-mile system since 1997, a system that the Milwaukee Streetcar is patterned after). The downtown summer trolley serves to promote the businesses that pay to be along its route, the Milwaukee Streetcar is a starter system designed to connect residents and visitors to jobs and entertainment, while at the same time generating new development along the route.

Neither Rome, nor Portland, were built in a day, each had to start somewhere. This is Milwaukee’s chance to start. This is a public investment that will lead to substantially more private investment.

To ensure this is the beginning, not the end of the line email your Milwaukee Common Council representative using the form below to express your support for the Milwaukee Streetcar on what is likely to be a close vote.

1. Your Name *(required)
2. Email *(valid email required)
3. Address *(required)
4. City *(required)
5. State *(required)
6. Zip Code *(required)
7. Council Member Robert J. Bauman Jim Bohl Milele A. Coggs Joe Davis, Sr. Robert G. Donovan Joe Dudzik Ashanti Hamilton Willie L. Hines, Jr. Nik Kovac Michael J. Murphy Willie C. Wade Robert W. Puente Jim Witkowiak Terry Witkowski Tony Zielinski
8. Message *I encourage you to support the Milwaukee Streetcar.

 

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For a background on the streetcar prior to the events mentioned in this article, see our Milwaukee Streetcar Timeline

Talks between M&I, MSOE, and Milwaukee County regarding MSOE’s proposed parking garage in the Park East have dragged on for months, and it is likely because of a new detail that makes a marginal project into a bad project.  Apparently, the deal would be contingent on an additional parking lot for M&I to replace the lot they would sell to MSOE.  This surface parking lot, which would be located across the street from another M&I parking lot along Water St., would essentially lock up a vast section of the Park East land to never see significant development.

This project was marginal from the beginning as it had an assortment of drawbacks.  For example, it is sited incorrectly in that the park would not have allowed it to enhanced future developments.   Another issue was that the 700 car parking garage was not large enough to help other developments offset their parking ‘needs’.  The design shows little inspiration, in that it failed to wrap much of the building with active uses, and failed to capitalize on an opportunity to create a point of focus where the building comes to ground.  Further, the soccer field wasn’t the public park intended by the Park East plan, and it is a real question as to whether this will become a public amenity or a MSOE-only facility.  And now M&I is pushing for control of the land along Water St. to potentially create a new surface parking lot.

Hopefully this part of the deal can be resolved, because in this form this deal has more of a chance of stopping any development, rather than encouraging any development as it will turn much of the Park East land into a single-use, low-utilization, low tax-base sea of parking.

One improvement that is being negotiated is for M&I, at least in the short run, to lease their parking slots inside the new garage.  This would be a significant improvement, though apparently M&I is still pushing for long-term control of the lot along Water St., so this may not be a good long-term solution.  As Alderman Kovac explained to me “if the lot west of there eventually becomes a surface lot it is a failure,” but that he hoped a long-term solution could be worked out to resolve the issues.  Better yet, MSOE could build a larger garage that would not only meet the long-term needs of M&I, but also the needs of future developments in the Park East.  A larger garage could be accomplished with some sort of City of Milwaukee involvement and could include an upgraded first-floor design to insure tax revenue and street activation.

Although the project is still questionable as to its long-term benefits to Milwaukee, the deal breaker is if parking garage comes with a surface parking lot, as that would be a failure.