The Alley Activation project‘s primary goal was to create a welcoming, magical, and safe space to draw visitors back to downtown Minneapolis. The long, wide alley space connects the busy Hennepin Avenue Theater District to the Financial District and serves FAIR high school, St. Thomas University, and a multi-level parking structure. In order to build excitement around one shared vision for the alley, the design team planned and facilitated stakeholder engagement workshops with building managers and students. The engagement process resulted in a vision for an activated alley that hosts various, vibrant events centered on play while also offering moments of joy and peace every day.

Beyond engagement, the design team’s services included benchmarking studies, analysis of existing issues and opportunities, and the formulation of potential activities and scaled programming based upon stakeholder feedback. Concepts prioritized interventions that could be implemented over time to slow and reduce vehicular traffic with permanent barriers, increase lighting and wayfinding, welcome users under the age of 18, and provide seating, shelter, shade, and planting. The preferred concept leveraged artistic treatments to unify subspaces through thematic use of color, light, and pattern.