Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; but it can be transformed from one form of energy to another.
The environment of downtown Minneapolis successfully demonstrates the idea of energy, flow, and transformation through a city. People in the city are often in a rush to go anywhere. Either they will be rushing to catch a bus, to hurry to a job, to put quarters in a parking meter, or to do various other things. The energy in this environment is very fast paced and could even be described as edgy. People are not as friendly towards others as they might be in a suburban town. Though this may not be true in all cases, materialistic values seem to embody the people of the city. Energy of the people will give either positive or negative alterations of peoples moods. The energy of one person’s mood will flow to another and is then transformed to how the person decides to take it, and how they will continue the flow of energy to the next person. If one person is negative, anyone who they encounter will either chose to let the negative attitude impact them in a bad way, or they can chose to ignore it and be more positive that their day is not going as bad as the other persons. Either positive or negative, this energy is transmitted from one person to another and it forms a chain reaction. The environment of the city is a reflection of the people’s energy. People’s attitudes impact the energy that will later be transformed to create the environment of the city.
Transportation and the design of buildings and their placement throughout the city is one of the outcomes the transformation of people’s energy has. The people’s lives in the city require fast and efficient ways of doing things to help them with their daily routines. Busy schedules cause buildings and transportation to be designed to fit the needs of the people. Buses can take a person to their destination quickly and inexpensively. Taxis wait on every street. On the corner of Nicollet and 9th Street there are two Starbucks opposite of each other so people will not have to cross the street to get caffeine or a muffin. Target Corporation is located one block away from a Target store. Instead of an employee having to stroll down the side walk and cross the street, a skyway (one of many) is conveniently placed connecting the buildings together. If the employee is in a rush to eat before returning from one building to the other they can get take out at the Quiznos between Target Corporation and Target in the skyway. They could even stop to get cash on the way there at the TCF Bank. The energy of the people’s attitudes is also transformed into how buildings are designed. Tall buildings with straight lines and edges are prominent. The Minneapolis Library is an example of how the edginess of the people is transformed into a building. The lines are sharp, as well as the cantilever that emerges from the building.
Downtown Minneapolis has a culture of its own. Energy is not lost but flows from one person to the next and is transformed into the way transportation and buildings are designed. The edginess of people’s energy is transformed into the way buildings are designed. Their busy lives dictate the environment of the city.
