A Renter’s Bill Of Rights Should Attack Landlord Power

[…] low-income renters, and upping the ante on housing inspections in Minneapolis. Bender asked if there were any questions before the group entered breakout discussions, and immediately a renter began asking about recourse against her landlord, who had intimidated, threatened, and defaced her property in an effort to get her to leave. She outlined how […]

Map Monday: US States by Renter Friendliness

Here’s a map showing how states rank on a 0-100 scale of “ renter friendliness”. It is brought to you by Rent Café, which I assume is some sort of apartment-finding website. They have a good list of policies that give more rights to renters, including how long you have to wait to get […]

sign on building that says "whittier"

Fixing High-Renter, Low-Equity Neighborhood Orgs

Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood has an equity problem. It’s 83 percent renter; half of households are cost-burdened; one third live in poverty. Yet the Whittier neighborhood organization, the Whittier Alliance, is pushing for higher rents and fancier amenities in a new building proposed as affordable “workforce” housing: “I think you’re underestimating the neighborhood in terms of design, […]

Hilarious faux television promotion featuring large gathering of hipsters on a street corner.

TV’s “Real Renters of Minneapolis” to Debut in 2016

[…] the weekly, ceremonial tossing of a bocce ball through a neighbor’s window. Producers are prepared for an extended legal battle. MORE HEADLINES: “Ex-Renter” Movement Gathers Steam – Downzoning evangelist comes out as former renter, advocates “homeowner conversion therapy.” Analysis of NexTrip Data Uncovers Thousands of Missing Passengers – Transit riders feared lost to other dimension. Hilarious faux television promotion featuring large […]

Mapping Renters and Owners in Central Saint Paul

If you ever attend a neighborhood meeting in Saint Paul (or probably any city), you’re likely to hear a lot about the perceived or actual animosity of homeowners against renters. For example, in my own neighborhood in the North End, a recent meeting drew some audible expressions of surprise when someone quoted the statistic that […]

Chart of the Day: Renter Participation in Neighborhood Groups

Occasional streets.mn contributor John Edwards has a new blog about the demographic gap between his local neighborhood group and the surrounding residents of  the Wedge, complete with nifty infographics. Here’s one of the charts on the site:   I wrote a column about this over at Minnpost today. Engaging with renters is a persistent challenge for neighborhood groups all […]

Preserving Rental Affordability in the Infill Era

Despite seeing some healthy growth over the last few years, 2014 is turning out to be a rough development year for the Wedge’s renters. While renters currently comprise ~77% of the neighborhood, their voices are being drowned out. The neighborhood’s last few proposed rental projects have seen heavy opposition or have been blocked entirely. The winnings […]

Chart of the Day: Saint Paul Housing Cost vs. Income for Renters and Homeowners

There’s a wonderful new draft of a document called the “Housing Conditions and Trends Inventor, Needs Assessment, and Implementation Strategy” from the Saint Paul Planning and Economic Department that was released last week in conjunction with the draft Comprehensive Plan. It is chock full of housing data, including lots of information about the current state […]