Archive for August 30th, 2008

Aug-30-2008

Light Rail Study for Downtown


In the future can you imagine a light rail system running down Walnut Street from the Western Gateway Park area into the East Village? The City of Des Moines is trying to determine its feasibility. Reports show that a Nebraska firm, HDR or Omaha, has been hired to study the idea. The study will look at cost, type of light rail, routes, infrastructure needs, and time line. There report is due back by spring 2009.

This proposal is the first step of many to make improvements downtown based on a plan to improve Des Moines even more. The heart of the plan is to connect the major pieces of downtown, from the Iowa Events Center to Principal Park, and from the Meredith Corp. to the Capitol.

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Aug-30-2008

Gardening in the City


Just because you live an urban downtown area doesn’t mean that some of the residents don’t want to still have a little garden or some grass. Urban gardeners find themselves with new challenges and limitations. Rooftop gardens, hydroponics, and container gardening are examples of how urban gardeners have adapted to these new conditions.

So here’s a couple of examples of how some of the residents at Liberty Condos overcame the urban garden challenges.

Tina Johnson and Bob Barry decided to set up some planter boxes on their balcony and plant some grass seed. Keeping it trimmed requires nothing more than some garden scissors.

Another resident, Julie Vande Hoef, organized a group of residents to help plant the garden area in our parking garage terrace with a variety to flowers and small vegetables. I’m lucky enough to have a view of the garden from my window across the street. It brings a really nice touch to the area.

If you have a balcony or garden area downtown, here are some tips on planning for your urban garden:

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