The Summit Avenue Plan at 90%: How Do the Controversies Play Out?
The Summit Avenue redesign is almost complete. With critical decisions on the horizon, we examine how the arguing over the plan has panned out.
Category: Analysis
What Is Evie Carshare and Is It a Good Option for the Twin Cities?
The Twin Cities has spatial gaps in its transit service and social gaps in transportation equity. Car-sharing can connect people without cars to suburban areas, including their amenities and their jobs.
Zoning Matters: Chickens, Canines, Cafés and Commerce
Just as Minneapolis allows us to make balanced decisions about having chickens in our yards, we should be allowing opportunities for small businesses to be mixed into our neighborhoods.
Riverview Corridor: Finding a Good Balance Between Light Rail and Streetcar
A comprehensive look at and recommendations for the Riverview Corridor, a proposed streetcar between Downtown St. Paul and the Mall of America.
More Smart Land Use Reform in Saint Paul
St. Paul planning staff have been doing great work to reform the planning process. The latest change proposes to fix a broken petition requirement for certain developments.
It’s Not Equitable to Protect Cars on Summit Avenue
A recent editorial argued that bike advocates left out the marginalized in their advocacy for new bike infrastructure on Summit Avenue. What if we applied that analysis to cars?
The reality and myth of the Minneapolis 2040 plan
The Minneapolis 2040 plan is back in the news, but not for fun reasons. Last week, a Hennepin County district court judge ordered the City of Minneapolis to stop implementing that groundbreaking comprehensive plan until the city could demonstrate that it complied with state environmental legislation. The plan, which was adopted over three years ago, […]
Are Electric Vehicles ‘Multimodal’ or Just Less Bad for the Environment?
Electric vehicles are a positive step away from the pollution of gas-guzzling SUVs and other cars. But do we shortcut the hard work of habit change by promoting them as multimodal?
Minneapolis Rents Drop, Bucking National Trends
Twin Cities homes have become steadily less affordable since the 1990s. Recently, however, something has started to shift.
Deconstructing the Past and Future of St. Anthony Falls Lock
In these perilous times, dreaming of the future comes less easily. That is precisely what I found myself doing, however, after hearing the news earlier this year that the planning process for the future development of the three-acre St. Anthony Falls Lock property would start fresh from the beginning — this time, with Indigenous peoples […]