Julie Caniglia’s article “Peeping Tom Goes Legit” [June] is an unfair critique of the Minneapolis and St. Paul Home Tour. Because the writer is having trouble finding an affordable home, she seems to want to take it out on the folks who have decided to stay in the core cities for the long haul, show the public what is possible with old, urban homes, and pay higher taxes in the process. I’ve lived in Southwest Minneapolis for the last eight years and have seen how remodeling a home can affect a street. Neighbors are typically happy and excited to see home improvement projects evolve. Once people see that it’s worth the investment, other homes on the block are refurbished. Shabby homes are given a facelift, and instead of a decaying street you have one that is re-energized. Personally, I’d rather have people invest in city homes and show them off than take their money to the suburbs and buy a McMansion. I guess Ms. Caniglia could then write about the tragic blight of once-grand neighborhoods in the Cities. I’ve visited Home Tour houses and found it uplifting that people choose to make a significant investment in places that were given up for dead a couple of decades ago. I found the homeowners to be down-to-earth, modest, and committed to city life. Going through Home Tour residences made me feel good about living in a city on the rise. Community is fostered in many ways, and there are much worse means than improving your house and providing fellow urbanites with ideas, inspiration, and comfort in knowing that others strive to make Minneapolis and St. Paul better places. Yes, we need more affordable homes incorporating good design in the city, but please don’t ridicule people who are making urban neighborhoods stable and attractive. Strong, successful American cities have beautiful neighborhoods filled with a variety of fine homes. Residents of Minneapolis and St. Paul should be proud of the improving their housing stock and make time to celebrate it.
Keith Ylinen
Minneapolis
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