Author: Anton Schieffer

Anton Schieffer

Anton Schieffer

Anton lives in Minneapolis and writes about information technology, government transparency, and local housing issues. He mostly wants to build enough housing so that everyone has a place to live.

1200px Elizabeth Warren (48006689222)

Yes, Elizabeth Warren Has a Plan for Transportation

  A recent post here at streets.mn focused on the transportation policies of 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates. In this 3,000+ word analysis, five of the six current candidates’ policies were covered in depth, and one candidate was given a single sentence. This gives the false impression Warren doesn’t have a plan. The reality is that […]

Percentage of Renters Across Minneapolis vs. Neighborhood Org Representation

Neighborhoods 2020 Should Provide Oversight, Accountability, and Transparency

This year, the City of Minneapolis is addressing the future of neighborhood organizations. The city’s Neighborhood and Community Relations Department (NCR) released a set of recommendations that will change the way neighborhood organizations operate moving forward. Why the change? A couple of reasons. Minneapolis has been funding neighborhood organizations since 1991, and the source of […]

School Ratings In Minneapolis

Southwest Minneapolis: Critical to Minneapolis 2040

Where do people want to live? The short answer: Minneapolis. Millennials don’t want to spend their lives inside cars, and older residents don’t want to be dependent on driving for simple tasks like getting groceries or picking up a few things at Target. People increasingly want to live near the amenities of a city as […]

A Few Notes From YIMBYtown

I had the opportunity to attend YIMBYtown in Boston. It’s a good chance to learn from other activists about what was going on in other cities, and to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Mostly though, people just asked me if I knew WedgeLIVE (yes) or if I was behind the […]

Why is New Housing So Expensive?

Minneapolis needs more homes. That idea is one of the core tenets of the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. For a number of reasons (demographic, economic, cultural, etc.), more people are, and soon will be, living in the city. We need enough homes for everyone who is choosing to live here, or we’ll continue to see […]

Change in Renters by Household Income

Is Home Ownership Out of Reach?

As Minneapolis moves forward with an update to its Comprehensive Plan, there’s been some great discussion around how we accommodate a fast-growing population. As our city grows, it’s important to talk about how to make this a more equitable city for everyone who lives here, and all the shapes and sizes of new homes that […]

How Many Homes Does Minneapolis Need?

Minneapolis is growing. We’ve heard lots of talk about how Minneapolis is losing affordable housing faster than we can replace it. We say housing should be a human right (and it should!). We hear about rising rents and first-time buyers unable to find starter homes. Whether you want more public housing or you want the market […]

Sons of Norway rendering

New Housing Coming to Sons of Norway Site

In February, the Minneapolis City Council voted to reject an appeal by the East Calhoun Community Organization (ECCO), allowing over 300 new homes to be built at the Sons of Norway site on Lake Street. The location is in the “Heart of Uptown”, one of the most transit-rich and walkable communities in Minnesota. There are […]

Geodesic Domes outside of Amazon's Seattle HQ

Don’t Hold Your Breath on Amazon

Recently, Amazon announced plans to build “HQ2,” a second headquarters for their growing business. Amazon is soliciting various municipal and state governments with a request for proposals outlining the strengths of their particular region (unique and valuable business intel in and of itself, but that’s a whole ‘nother post) and what kind of tax breaks […]