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Miss Gayle
Miss Gayle
@MissGayle@urbanists.social  ·  activity timestamp 14 hours ago

A reminder, class, that any kind of transportation has to actually go places people want to get to, and take them home again, in a convenient and timely manner. Anything else will fail.

"Northstar stations appeared in fields, behind big-box stores, in locations that were functionally inaccessible to anyone not arriving by car. These were not places people were, or naturally wanted to go. They were places chosen to satisfy funding commitments."

Link: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2026-2-2-this-commuter-rail-line-was-never-going-to-work

#Transportation

"Why Minnesota’s Northstar Service Was Doomed From the Start"
By Charles Marohn, February 2, 2026

“What happens when transportation is designed for funding, not function?” That’s the uncomfortable question at the heart of Northstar’s story. Chuck unpacks how the project wasn’t really designed around moving people at all — it was designed around winning federal funding.

Photo of Northstar's Anoka, Minnesota station in 2009.
"Why Minnesota’s Northstar Service Was Doomed From the Start" By Charles Marohn, February 2, 2026 “What happens when transportation is designed for funding, not function?” That’s the uncomfortable question at the heart of Northstar’s story. Chuck unpacks how the project wasn’t really designed around moving people at all — it was designed around winning federal funding. Photo of Northstar's Anoka, Minnesota station in 2009.
"Why Minnesota’s Northstar Service Was Doomed From the Start" By Charles Marohn, February 2, 2026 “What happens when transportation is designed for funding, not function?” That’s the uncomfortable question at the heart of Northstar’s story. Chuck unpacks how the project wasn’t really designed around moving people at all — it was designed around winning federal funding. Photo of Northstar's Anoka, Minnesota station in 2009.

Why Minnesota’s Northstar Service Was Doomed From the Start | Strong Towns

What happens when transportation is designed for funding, not function.
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