I was in Minneapolis last week and was asked what the city should do with its skywalks.

Minneapolis, a progressive city much-lauded for its beautiful parks and robust arts scene, gave U.S. cities two unfortunate downtown innnovations:  the skywalk and the pedestrian mall.  Cities rushed to copy Minneapolis, only to learn later that neither was a particularly good idea, and in many cities, they actually contributed to the demise of downtowns.

So it was interesting to read the AP story today from Lisa Cornwell about skywalks coming down.  Cincinnati has eliminated two of its original 22 skywalks.  Baltimore has pulled down two of its nine skywalks.  Hartford reversed its decision to build skywalks after only 30 percent of its system was completed.

Only the densest of cities can pull people off the streets and put them overhead in skywalks or underground in pedways and still have vibrant streets.  It's the hustle and bustle of downtown sidewalks that gives them life and supports the retail uses that make streets interesting and fun.  Take that away, and you have streets that feel unsafe and empty.

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