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Alec Walker

About Skywalk DSM

I'm Alec Walker, a structural engineer who just moved to downtown Des Moines.

I built this site because I kept getting lost in the skywalk. The official maps are static PDFs from years ago, the existing app hasn't been updated since 2021, and the kiosks only help if you're standing in front of one. So I made what I wished existed.

The site has an interactive map of the entire skywalk system, point-to-point directions that account for which floors connect and where the elevators are, a directory of businesses, and notes on the places I've been. Works on your phone, no app to install, no account required.

This started as a personal map. I'm walking the skywalk regularly to verify that the data actually matches reality — which doors are real entrances, which segments are open, where the stairs and elevators are, which businesses are still around. The map gets more accurate every weekend.

What's still rough: storefront photos are sparse, building entrances at street level need more verification, and the writeups on individual places are just getting started. If you spot something wrong, there's a "report a problem" link on every page.

If you want to help, you can submit reports through the site, or if you know a building or section really well and want contributor access, send me an email.

I'll keep building this as long as I'm downtown.

— Alec