Author: Christa M

Christa M

Attorney. I do law stuff, ride bikes, and paint murals. Member of Hourcar & Nice Ride, and customer of Freewheel Bike and The Hub Bike Co-op.

A map of hennepin county shaded in pastel greens and purples (Source: "How Lower-Income Americans Get Cheated on Property Taxes," New York Times, April 3, 2021)

Does This Map Identify Systemic Bias in Property Valuation?

Christa M • April 8, 2021

This editorial on disparities in property valuation in the New York Times is drawing attention and commentary, for good reason. The editorial finds nationwide, systemic valuation errors disproportionately affecting lower-value residential properties which shifts property-tax burdens towards those property-owners and away from higher-value residential property owners. Racial disparities in wealth and homeownership, and the persistent […]

Celebrating the 1-year Anniversary of the streets.mn Climate Committee

Fred Kreider, Pine Salica, Christa M, Pat Thompson, Jenny Werness and Kyle Constalie • March 1, 2021

On December 29, 2019, seven people met at Dual Citizen Brewery in St. Paul, and there we created the streets.mn Climate Emergency Committee. We had a few in-person writing meet-ups before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, and even though none of us could anticipate the events that followed throughout the year of 2020, we maintained […]

Rethinking “Rethinking I-94”

Pine Salica, Christa M, Fred Kreider, Fran Di Caprio, Jenny Werness, Kyle Constalie and Julia Curran • February 3, 2021

Despite its name, MNDOT’s project does not allow for “rethinking I-94,” it can only recapitulate I-94. And the community organizations’ letter, while we agree with its goals, does not push for the magnitude of change necessary. The urgency of our climate crisis requires more ambitious plans, and even the proposals by the community organizations will not manifest an I-94 corridor that has been sufficiently reconsidered.

Thanks to Ken Avidor for the illustration.

Femme/Trans/Women/Non-Binary Meet-Up: Wednesday, April 8

Christa M • April 2, 2020

Our mission here at streets.mn highlights the value of inclusive conversations. In order to encourage and amplify underrepresented voices, streets.mn is hosting an online F/T/W/NB (femme, trans, women, non-binary) meet-up next week. If you identify as femme/trans/woman/non-binary, you’re welcome to join us for a casual meet-up of the streets.mn ftw/nb community! You should especially consider joining […]

One of GPI's maps of climate considerations in comprehensive planning.

Growing Awareness of Climate in Community Planning

Christa M • February 19, 2020

I don’t remember how this ended up in my inbox, but the Great Plains Institute (GPI) recently published an article evaluating how Met Council-area communities are using the comprehensive planning process to address climate-related issues. As part of the state laws governing land use in the metro area, metro area municipalities are required to create […]

Things Can’t Be Both Better and the Same

Christa M • January 28, 2020

The streets.mn mission is: To foster positive connections and inclusive conversations about better places in Minnesota. I want to focus on just one adjective in that statement: “better.” This site—streets.mn as an organization—is dedicated to improvement. There are different approaches to improving something, and certainly the mission statement leaves considerable room for people to disagree […]

An image of the new, hopefully permanent and soon to be extended, Grand Avenue Bikeway

A Minor Miracle in St. Paul

Bicycling

Christa M • January 24, 2020

I have been known to harshly criticize St. Paul for its consistent—one could say unconscious, institutional—prioritization of car speed and convenience over the safety and comfort of people traveling sustainably. But this past fall St. Paul did something incredible, illuminating how different things could be with nothing more than a change in mindset. In October, […]

Safety and the Power of Public Works

Christa M • August 27, 2019

Sometimes I bike commute to work. It’s a 10 mile ride. Part of it on the greenway, which is like a dream (when it is open). But the bulk of my ride is on the streets of St. Paul. I’m not really up for that five days a week; I just don’t need my safety […]

SWLRT Construction's massive transportation impact

Share The Pain: SWLRT Related Trail Closure

Christa M • May 15, 2019

As part of the SWLRT construction, the Cedar Lake Trail is now closed between Hopkins and Minneapolis. For two to three years. Never fear, there is a detour. Let’s take a look at it. These detours certainly get a cyclist from one side of the closure to the other. The portion I’m focused on—between Hopkins […]

Respect. Kindness. Inclusivity. (Courtest Metro Transit)

When Quality of Life Initiatives Make Places Worse

Christa M • May 8, 2019

Metro Transit has stepped up a previously ill-defined “anti-harassment” initiative to promote “respect, kindness and inclusion among our riders.” This has manifested in station announcements, signage, and scrolling messages on buses that a lot of people probably find innocuous, or even welcome. However, the way it has chosen to go about this campaign is […]