Real Public Engagement
Build relationships. Choose welcoming (and bike- and transit-friendly) spaces. Keep children in mind. Have a formal feedback loop. And then plan for a better outcome.
Category: Advocacy
Should City Planners Let People Kill Themselves?
This question is implied or encroached upon in nearly every modern planning conversation, but is not as often discussed directly. I think we should acknowledge it and talk about it openly. I will discuss this question in the context of the model city planners refer to as “bottom-up” city planning, give an example and then briefly […]
Lightrailing While Brown is Our Issue
Being undocumented and in public is a precarious place to be. As transit advocates, we need to step up. I cannot speak on behalf of non-Western European immigrants. But I know this: what Ariel Vences-Lopez experienced on May 14 on the Metro Transit light rail is exactly what transit equity advocates have been fearing. This […]
Dr. 38th Street Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Park In the Bike Lane
As many of you are aware, bike advocacy is thankless work and seems sisyphean in nature as every spring folks march out the same tired arguments and shout them at community meetings led by volunteers who perform their courage through exceptional patience. The 38th Street bike lane project in Longfellow is shaping up to be […]
The Progressive Case for Up-Zoning Minneapolis
I love living in Minnesota, the Twin Cities, and mostly Minneapolis. The core of our state offers so many opportunities to so many different kinds of people. But for too long, urban progressives – the type of people who vote overwhelmingly for liberal candidates and causes election after election – have waged a mostly winning […]
Protests and the Political Importance of Public Places
Preface: I buried the lede. If you don’t make it to the end, I want you to know about HF 322: “Governmental units allowed to sue to recover costs related to unlawful assemblies and public nuisances.” Also, this post has been boiling under the surface for me for over a year. The topic continues to remain […]
HF499: An Email Exchange with Duane Quam
A lot of ink has been spilled over state Representative Duane Quam’s proposed bill HF499 requiring “urban bicycle lane permits” in order to ride in a bike lane. The full text of the bill can be found here. Lots of people in the cycling community wrote, called or met with him. Many wrote columns, blog […]
World Bicycle Relief: Bicycles Are An Outsized Benefit
Education in Tanzania is critical to move out of poverty, and a bicycle is critical to get to school. World Bicycle Relief makes that possible.
Making streets.mn Even Better
If you are like me, you have probably been receiving email and social media pleas for weeks to Give the Max to various organizations. Every non-profit that has managed to get my email has sent at least one message asking for money. Well, here’s another. If you are reading this post at all, it likely […]
Dense Development Belongs in Neighborhood Interiors Too
You may have heard about the proposal to re-zone the Lowry Hill East neighborhood of Minneapolis (commonly known as The Wedge, not to be confused with the defunct neighborhood newspaper or grocery co-op of the same name). Some people are opposed. I am one of them. I’ve been meaning to write something specific about the merits of […]