“There are folks who are extraordinarily invested in validating the process that has brought us to this point.” – Peter Wagenius, Minneapolis City Council Ways & Means Committee, October 1st, 2013 To date, this is easily the best way anyone has found to describe, in one sentence, the situation that Hennepin County, the City of […]
The Minneapolis-St. Paul region has many, many municipalities. Though I hear at international conferences that we have metropolitan government here, that seems a Viking marketing myth (much like the naming of Greenland). In fact, depending on how you count, the region has 189 Minor Civil Divisions (MCD). Each is a local unit of government, which […]
A Wink And A Nod—Teaching Our Kids To Be Criminals (Part I) is here. In a discussion of plans for an intersection that some of us are trying to make more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, the traffic engineer for the project said that she could add some no-turn-on-red signs to help alleviate the quite dangerous […]
After 12 years it’s time for a serious discussion about safety (freedom from accidental harm) and security (freedom from intentional harm). Somehow we still spend every September 11 waxing poetic about precious life and freedoms while simultaneously using it to justify things like invading sovereign countries, spying on peace activists and marketing products. Perhaps most […]
Minneapolis is going to have a very different municipal government in 2014. We’ll have a new mayor for the first time since 2001. There are 13 councilpeople in our weak mayor-council government, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that a majority of its members will be first termers come next January. Three councilpeople […]
What is it like growing up in the U.S. today? What messages will you get from the society around you? As you grow and mature you’ll begin to form your own personal values. You’ll learn lessons from your own experiences and from others. You’ll form opinions about regard for others and their property, from sex, […]
I became pretty irritated after reading the latest counter argument for the controversial Opus mixed-use development planned in Dinkytown. If you live in a cave, or haven’t been to the U since Goldy had angry eyes, a proposal is currently in line to replace what is now the building that House of Hanson, the Podium […]
Reading about Pat Borzi’s MinnPost article about the on-street parking system ($15 to park on street for Vikings game? Minneapolis smart meters raise rates for big events) hit me right at home. I read this as a raging left-winged Michael Moore fan might watch an O’reilly Factor broadcast – exasperated, frustrated, and wanting to throw […]
As a transportation researcher and a student of urban planning at the University of Minnesota, I am interested to learn of the City Council’s current efforts to select a provider for a city-wide on-street car sharing service. On May 1, the Star Tribune reported that city staff had recommended that the Council “authorize staff to negotiate terms […]
As the legislature slogs through another session, the House Transportation Finance Committee has a queue of bills to sort through. Most of these would provide specific appropriations to fund a single transportation project. A few may succeed on their merits and statewide significance, some may gain popular support resulting in a project’s inclusion in a bonding […]