The 21 acres of open space as part of the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium project is used to engage a citywide network of major open spaces and buildings to encourage new development which strengthens and ties together existing neighborhoods. The design focuses on distinctive edges of the stadium context. The stadium as an iconic object seen from the eastern highway approach to Minneapolis is treated differently from the plaza in front of the stadium entrance which is part of the dramatic visibility of the downtown skyline. The parks extending toward the city are designed to be attractive settings for new development, further enhanced by the transit park which becomes a central attraction to both the stadium and to future development