Editor’s note: Walk the Talk is Streets.mn’s carefully curated, highly partisan collection of both serious and fun-loving events, community meetings and opportunities for engagement that we think will interest our readers. Email your ideas to Hawken Habig, one of our daily editors, at hawkenhabig@gmail.com.
Open Streets Minneapolis 2023 – Summer and Fall
Start planning ahead for Open Streets Minneapolis 2023! Five Minneapolis streets will be closed to vehicles each for a day periodically throughout the summer and fall, with the first coming this June. Festivities will include music, vendors, games and more. See the dates below, and find more information by clicking here.
- East Lake – Saturday, June 10, 2023
- Glenwood – Sunday, July 16, 2023
- Cedar – Sunday, August 20, 2023
- West Broadway – Saturday, September 16, 2023
- Lyndale – Sunday, October 8, 2023
People Friendly Driver Class with BikeMN – Wednesday, March 8, 6 p.m.
Want to improve your safe driving skills? Consider attending the People Friendly Driver Class, hosted by the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota. Drivers will learn to navigate streets in a way safe for cyclists and pedestrians. The class will be held online on March 8 at 6.m., and attendance will be free (although donations are appreciated). In addition, the class will be immediately followed by a course on Bike Basics at 7:15 – so consider sticking around to learn how to comfortably and safely take your bike on the road.
Summit Avenue Regional Trail Community Forum – Monday, February 27, 6 p.m.
There is still time to comment as city officials wrap up planning for the Summit Avenue Regional Trail Plan – now 90% complete. A community forum will be held on February 27 at 6 p.m. at The House of Hope Presbyterian Church by the Summit Hill Association and the Summit-University Planning Council, featuring St. Paul city representatives to present on and discuss the latest trail plan iterations. A Q&A session will also take place, but questions must be submitted to questions@summit-university.org ahead of time. Sustain St. Paul, in support of the Safer Summit campaign, has also called on advocates to support the plan by showing up at the meeting – and bringing along a bike helmet and some blue or purple clothing. Before heading to the event, consider reading the several excellent pieces on the Summit Avenue plan published by Streets.mn this month to gain insight into the project! (Hint: you can also submit feedback online through this form until the end of this month.)
2023 Strong Towns National Gathering – Tuesday, May 30, and Wednesday, May 31
The Strong Towns National Gathering will take place at the end of this May in Charlotte, North Carolina. Strong Towns is a 501(c)(3), with roots in Minnesota, that focuses on financially resilient local governance through the promotion of reasonable and efficient development patterns. Hosted with the help of the Congress for New Urbanism, which will have its own annual conference that same week, the event is open to all and will feature guest speakers, workshops and other activities. More information (including ticket pricing) can be found here.
Photo at top courtesy of Spencer Bergen on Unsplash.