Super-connector of People By Kent Worley, Landscape Architect Nearly 25 years ago, a graduate Landscape Architect who worked with me suggested a concept that would help pull some central, scattered areas of Duluth together. The more I have looked at this opportunity as the years have passed, the more feasible and valuable it appears. Imagine the area from downtown east to the health care complex of the Duluth Clinic, St. Mary's Hospital, and the former Miller Dwan Hospital, now a connected and integral part of this complex. Then look at the five elderly housing facilities lined up in an L-shape between the health care facilities and downtown. They are in perfect alignment and proximity to be nodes along a connecting skywalk leading to downtown and linking with substantial existing and planned skywalk extensions through our entire downtown. Imagine as well the huge population at the health care complex and the resident and visiting population in these five housing buildings. The numbers are impressive, and I would predict this connecting corridor would become a "super-connector" of people and activities. Here are some of the benefits we might envision: During both winter and summer, safe and convenient access from resident buildings to health care. Just think how easy it would be to take your parents to the clinic, even during a winter storm-or for them to go on their own. Increased pedestrian travel, reduced vehicular trips and parking demands, and more customers for downtown businesses. Retail infill of some of our vacant downtown commercial space would follow. A way for hospital-bound patients and their family members to find relief and perspective-whether it's an outing simply to enjoy a great view along the way or a destination like Lake Place or the Lakewalk. Elevators would provide access at key vertical transition points, perhaps escalators too. Relief and perspective as well for residents of the five housing facilities and their families. Imagine family members moving through this corridor with a parent or grandparent, in a wheelchair or on foot. Compare this image to that of visiting a parent in elderly housing facilities, sitting in a room trying to find things to talk about. Creation of a healthy environment for popular recreational pursuits, such as walking, or simply for people-watching and other sorts of human communication. A physical joining of downtown and our health care facilities, establishing a greater image of convenience while orienting people to Duluth's somewhat complex, hilly, one-way streets. At present, Duluth's health care complex is effectively cut off from downtown, even though it is only a few short blocks away. This "super-connector" of people is a connection waiting to happen, and eventually it will happen. In the interim, we must plan for this option. We must make certain that developments do not encroach on the linking corridor in ways that could jeopardize this opportunity to further connect the places and the people of Duluth. These articles are retained on the web for historical interest and do not necessarily reflect the views or goals of DPPA today.

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