Featured Stories

Food trucks line Mears Park in St. Paul, courtesy Visit St. Paul

Moveable Feasts: MSP's Food Truck Boom Inspires Appetites, Community, Culinary Startups

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, June 04, 2014

What turns a pint at the local microbrewery into a feast? Transforms ho-hum lunch hours into culinary adventures? Generates curbside communities? Tests an entrepreneur's appetite for a new business? Twin Cities food trucks!

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Central Avenue, Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Lake Street, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop

Marking alleys, courtesy Andy Sturdevant

Alley Activation: Pathways to Urban Revitalization

Eric Peterson Wednesday, April 23, 2014

From Seattle to Washington D.C., alleys are being reinvented as people-friendly spaces. Often perceived as dirty and dangerous, alleys are moving beyond garbage and garages to become havens for pedestrians, public art and small business.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration

Central Avenue, Phillips, University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Lake Street, Southwest, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Seward, Nokomis, Longfellow, Calhoun - Isles, Powderhorn

A new bus stop on the future Nicollet Mall? courtesy James Corner Field Operations

Third Time's a Charm? Another Redesign for Minneapolis' Nicollet Mall

Frank Edgerton Martin Wednesday, March 19, 2014

James Corner, who re-imagined New York City's wildly popular urban destination, the High Line, is the latest to re-envision Nicollet Mall's potential as a vital, urban public space.

Design, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown

Club E: Networking Group Supports Twin Cities' Startups

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, March 12, 2014

From beer sampling to wearable tech to Pecha Kucha, Club Entrepreneur is cultivating new business relationships and startups by supporting Twin Cities' innovators with actionable content and connections.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Downtown

One of Vorderbruggen's "Starcatcher" windows

Joan Vorderbruggen: Reawakening Empty Storefronts to Their Community Potential

Ann Klefstad Wednesday, March 05, 2014

The first article in a new series on Twin Cities artists who build community, activate space, engage viewers, and stimulate interaction or dialogue with their work, and how their creative placemaking helps reveal and enhance community identity.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership

Downtown, Powderhorn

Next in Transit: The Green Line, Then Southwest Rail?

Conrad deFiebre Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Green Line sets the stage for a full regional transit network unlike anything we've seen since the heyday of the streetcars.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Transportation

University, Midway, Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown

Ten Thousand Things in "The Music Man," photo by Paula Keller

Ten Thousand Things: Connecting with Communities Through Imaginative Theater

Carl Atiya Swanson Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Minneapolis theater company Ten Thousand Things builds connections both radical and backed by tradition by telling stories for intimate and often non-traditional audiences, with the lights up and minimal staging, using the power of communal imagination.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Talent Dividend

University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Lake Street, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Powderhorn

Body/Head, Photo By Annabel Mehran, courtesy Body/Head

Sound.Art MIA and Engaging New Museum Audiences

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Museums across the Twin Cities are re-thinking traditional museum practices, to attract and increase engagement with untapped audiences and thrive in the 21st century, including the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, Nightlife

Phillips, Downtown

Minneapolis Convention Center plaza, courtesy Kristin Maywire, Urbain DRC

The Creative City Challenge: Public Art with Lasting Influence?

Brian Martucci Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Finalists have been selected for the second annual Creative City Challenge. The winning, interdisciplinary, public-art installation--selected by popular vote this winter--will be open all summer on the Minneapolis Convention Center plaza.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Regionalism

Downtown

Alexis Ohanian, courtesy WAC and Tanya Kechician

Q+A: Alexis Ohanian, Creative Entrepreneurship, and Giving Lots of Damns

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, January 08, 2014

The Line asked Alexis Ohanian, who is speaking at the Walker Art Center and is best known as the cofounder of the social news site reddit, about how to create community on the Internet and his advice for startups.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technologies, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

Downtown

Freewheel's Winter Expo--Courtesy Freewheel

Getting in Gear: Local Innovations--From Knobbies to Pogies to Rims--for Winter Biking

Brian Martucci Wednesday, December 18, 2013

The burgeoning winter-biking scene wouldn’t be possible without the bike designers, entrepreneurs, co-ops, fests, expos, zines, and coffee shops that give the community its innovative edge and vitality.

Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transportation

Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Lake Street, Uptown/Lyn Lake

CoCo's co-working space in the Grain Exchange

The Sharing Economy: Sharing Isn't Just Nice To Do, It's Changing How We Do Business

Allyson Jacob Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Strong Local Economy, Transportation

Downtown, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown

Made in Minnesota: The Makers Coalition and the Renewal of Our Industrial Sewing Heritage

Anna Pratt Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Makers Coalition is supporting a new generation of industrial sewers and the local makers movement. The coalition brings together 60 businesses, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and service providers to fulfill its mission: To bring back industrial sewing skills, which largely disappeared in America decades ago.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Strong Local Economy

Downtown, Uptown/Lyn Lake, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Northeast

David Graham at Gold Medal Park and Zenith Condos

Q+A: David Graham, the city building architect, and his ecosystem approach to density

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Affordable Housing, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Northeast

Elizabeth Armstrong - Photo courtesy MIA

New Art Meets Old Masters: A Conversation with MIA curator Elizabeth Armstrong

Jon Spayde Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Minneapolis Institute of Arts' first-ever curator of contemporary art talks about how she uses new art to illuminate old art (and vice-versa) in the MIA--and her plans for new forms of community involvement with the museum.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership

Phillips, Downtown

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