St. Anthony Neighborhood

Site Analysis 4: St. Anthony Neighborhood
I grew up in Shakopee, Minnesota, a suburb of the cities down in the Minnesota River Valley. . The development where I grew up was quite new and the composition was flat. The same plastic siding houses filled the streets. Trees, shrubs and perennials were immature and skimpy although as a child I didn’t know the difference and loved all the flowers and leaves just the same. It was a neighborhood of only family dwellings, no small businesses intertwined in it. Our backyards were so large so the street was not so much used for play, just mainly auto traffic and bikes. Some people would have bonfires in their driveways that allowed for neighbors to come into a semi-private space. There were no fences, …show more content…
Anthony neighborhood was quite different than the one I grew up in, and one most people and myself would love to reside in. The topography is unique and changes throughout. Some homes are higher up with a set of stairs that leads to the front of the house from the sidewalk. Other homes are on quite flat land and very close to the sidewalk. St. Anthony streets made me feel “home-y” even though I have never lived there and it's because of the uniqueness of the place. The mature trees, varieties of homes and different people who all live together make it feel like a vernacular space. Similar to a romantic neighborhood that one feels at “home” in on vacation to a European country. The library, shops, coffee, hardware store, bank, etc. make it a functioning community where citizens eat, work and play in. Many people were out walking around because the necessities they need are just around the corner on Como Avenue. There is on street parking which slows cars down and makes the neighborhood feel much safer. Another quality the neighborhood has is sidewalks on both sides of the street. My neighborhood only had a sidewalk on one side growing up and my mom always wished we had one on our side. The social encounters always happened on the other side and it was safer for the kids. In St. Anthony the streets and homes are successful because the residents care about them. Walking along the street you can feel that they care because it is a pleasant walk, compared to a dreary one somewhere else where plants and yards aren’t taken care of. This design brings neighbors, together even if they don’t have children because they each have a coffee shop a block away, contrasting to my childhood neighborhood when it takes a car ride to choose Caribou or Panera. Having small business owners makes the sidewalks feel special because they take time to care for them and make them a welcoming environment to sit and spend time