Summary:

All of the great cities of America have them – neighborhood enclaves that are steeped in ethnic tradition and culture that provide unique gathering spots through entertainment, commerce and food. Other cities, such as L.A. with Little Tokyo, San Francisco with Chinatown, New York City with Little Italy, and Chicago with Germantown, just to name a few, have created these areas that draw locals and tourists alike to experience the authenticity of a culture that may be different than their own. As well it harbors a sense of community for local people of that ethnicity, especially if they are new to the community, to be put in touch with people that can provide mentoring and fellowship. With the tremendous ethnic diversity of the St. Paul area, especially on University Avenue in terms of neighborhoods and businesses, we have the opportunity to create a cultural corridor unlike any other in the nation.
The University corridor, beginning at the corner of Park St. and University Avenue across from the Capitol, moving west towards Minneapolis, we propose to create a unifying neighborhood identity that reflects the diversity of University Avenue. This will be achieved via two ways. First, through the use of unifying design elements applied to things such as street lights, street name signs, waste receptacles, and other ‘neighborhood signage’, as well as cultural marker signs that tell the significance of each ethnic group that makes up St. Paul. Secondly, through the use of grants to small businesses along the corridor, they would have the opportunity to use the grants for the refurbishment of the exterior of their businesses. Grants would also be used to support artists from different ethnic groups to create public art pieces that communicate the story of their experience as a St. Paulite.