The Northfield Post Office is located in the heart of downtown Northfield.
Multifunctional downtowns have been found to promote a sense of community for
the individuals who live or visit downtown. This feature of downtowns
also improves the vitality of the downtown economy. "Few places can rival
downtown’s intrinsic asset of possessing a wide range of functions within
a compact area" (Robertson, 1999). The essence of what creates a sense
of community is the high levels of human activity in the downtown area. Truly
effective pedestrian friendly communities are multifunctional; many different
uses of the land are included in a smaller parcel of land. Downtowns that include
the largest variety of functions attract the largest number and range of people
participating in the community at different times of the day and week. The greater
the number of people that are present downtown at all different times of the
day and week will ultimately increase the amount of social interactions that
occur between people. In the end, it is the high number of people socializing
with each other that builds a sense of community for people.
Many small cities are struggling to retain their multifunctional downtowns. However, Northfield has been able to retain its multifunctional downtown area. Northfield citizens can find most, if not all, of their basic goods and services in downtown Northfield (Rascoe, 2003). Along Division Street, there are two banks, a grocery store, two florists, two jewelers, an auto parts store, a hardware store, a dry cleaner, a pet store, a drug store, a veterinary clinic, stores with home furnishings, several clothing stores, an art gallery, many gift shops, cafes and bars. Outside of the downtown area, there are many recent developments along Highway 3, which runs nearly parallel to Division Street. There is a Target (opened 2002), Cub Foods (opened March 2003) and Menard's. This new development is a controversial issue for some of the citizens of Northfield. These three stores are not within easy walking distance of the downtown area. There are no sidewalks that lead directly to these stores and the stores are 1.5 miles away from the central downtown area. Some of the people I interviewed asserted that these stores increase the multifunctionality of Northfield, because now people are able to buy everything they need or want in Northfield, whereas previously people felt compelled to drive to Burnsville to shop at Target and Cub Foods. The section of Highway 3 that is closest to the downtown area contains four fast food restaurants, gas stations, a video rental store, and a gift shop.
These stairs lead to one of many apartments that are located above
stores and
restaurants in downtown Northfield.
There is not a large amount of scholarly research that illustrates that
a multifunctional downtown promotes a sense of community for the people
who live there. Recently, city planners and architects have begun
to realize that the physical appearance of a city, the multiple functions
that are served in a downtown area, the pedestrian friendly status and waterfront
development are all factors that increase a person's sense of community
(Robertson 2000).
