National Links: Flood Insurance, Oakland and Third Places
This week on National Links: flood insurance set to receive major reforms, Oakland weighs the impact of losing a baseball team and the undervalued importance of “third places.”
Category: Policy
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 […]
No Use for a Name: The Untold Story of Alley Identity and Utility in Minneapolis’ Palace Court
(The photograph above, showing the Metropolitan Opera House and Palace Court, was taken by C.J. Hubbard in 1914, Minnesota Historical Society) Historical and contemporary Minneapolis is not particularly known for its public alleys. They have served a more discreet role in the lives of Minneapolitans, unsung for getting private vehicles off city streets. Of course, […]
National Links: The True Cost of Cars
New research in Germany shows how expensive cars really are – the lifetime cost of a small car is $689,000 with a public expense of $275,000, say the researchers.
Hennepin Ave: If We Can’t Implement the City’s Policies Here, Then Where?
Hennepin Ave must be reconstructed. The city of Minneapolis currently favors an inclusive design that will make the area safer for non-car traffic. Learn more at the city’s open house on January 13, 2022.
Rent Stabilization Has St. Paul Renters and Landlords Wondering: What’s Next?
The rent stabilization initiative that St. Paul voters passed in November has the city scrambling to put a process in place.
Federal Highway Administration’s MUTCD May Flout Requirements
A document search suggests agency failed to consider safer and more sustainable designs, as required by the FAST Act, in engineering manual update.
At Open Streets, we asked candidates for Minneapolis Mayor about transit and public safety
With arguably the most decisive Minneapolis election in our lifetime rapidly approaching on Nov. 2, I went to Open Streets Minnehaha this past weekend on a mission to ask mayoral candidates questions submitted by streets.mn contributors. I got the three main contenders: incumbent Jacob Frey, former state representative Kate Knuth, and organizer Sheila Nezhad. I […]
The Market Will Not Save Us: Why I’m Voting Yes
“This year, St. Paul residents have the chance to support a ballot measure initiated, researched and led by communities of color, a policy that would fundamentally shift the unbalanced relationship between landlords and tenants.”
Why I’m Voting “Yes” on Question 1 – Rent Stabilization in St. Paul
A lot of noise has been made about a controversial rent stabilization proposal that St. Paul residents will find on their ballots on the November 2nd election this year. Due to a 1984 state law, the ordinance had to be passed through a referendum, creating a lot of confusion about the proposal’s details, its effects, […]