Featured Stories

Why MSP's Amenity-Rich Downtowns are Prime Spots for Relocating Businesses

Brian Martucci Tuesday, October 20, 2015

MSP’s increasingly amenity-rich downtowns offer irresistible quality-of-life benefits that help firms attract and retain top talent. Here’s a look at why some companies moved to the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

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

Downtown, West Side, West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop

Pedals and Pints: A Guide to Your Own Bike Friendly Brewery Tour

Brian Martucci Tuesday, July 14, 2015

All of these homegrown breweries are located on or near major bikeways, making for convenient — and safe — access. String two or three of these bike-friendly breweries together for a pedal-powered, DIY brewery tour.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Greater East Side, West Side, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Nokomis, Downtown/Lowertown, Payne - Phalen, Northeast

Forget Midwest. We Are North: Repositioning MSP's National Identity for the 21st Century

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, December 03, 2014

According to a recent panel discussion, we need to own our cold climate and our ingenuity in order to attract new talent, continue fueling the innovation at the heart of our economy, and create a new and authentic national identity. Shall we call ourselves the North?

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

Cycling in the Cities: Seven New Local Inventions for Bike Enthusiasts Here and Around the Globe

Brian Martucci Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Twin Cities is a leader in bicycle use and a major innovator in bicycle design and technology. The seven inventions profiled here have, or will have, an impact on the local and global cycling industry. And the pace of innovation shows no sign of slowing down.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transportation

Shawn Combs Walding, photo by Brian Martucci

Q+A: Shawn Combs Walding, MnDOT's Transit Advantages Coordinator

Brian Martucci Wednesday, October 15, 2014

We recently sat down with Shawn Combs Walding, MnDOT’s Transit Advantages Coordinator for the Twin Cities Metro District to discuss alternative transportation in the Twin Cities, what local entities can do to promote transit use, and how easy it really is to be car-free.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

The Dish on Heritage Restaurants: Food, Families, Neighborhoods

Susan Klemond Wednesday, November 06, 2013

A look at four heritage restaurants in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, their origin stories, their participation in their neighborhoods, and why their loyal patrons—and new generations of diners—keep coming back.

diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy

West Side, West Seventh, Northeast

The Odd (Retail) Couple

Susan Klemond Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Need a kicky pair of high heels or an affordable, eco-friendly coffin? Two shops sharing a building on Saint Paul's evolving Smith Avenue are ready to help with fashion or funerals.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

West Side

Karen Washington tells local urban gardeners: to go permanent, get political

Susan Klemond Wednesday, April 04, 2012

What do you do when the urban garden you've struggled to create gets sold out from under you? At the recent Community Garden Spring Resource Fair, New York gardening advocate Karen Washington told local growers that if they want their gardens to be really sustainable--i.e., permanent--they'd better get savvy about the political system.

Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Regionalism, Sustainability

West Side

Bruce Corrie Talks with Jon Spayde - Bill Kelley

The Big Picture 9: Bruce Corrie on the power of "ethnic capital"

Jon Spayde Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Often, says Concordia University economist and biz-school dean Bruce Corrie, our minority and immigrant communities are seen solely through the "problem" lens. Their struggles are real, but their contributions to our prosperity and potential for growth are greater than most majority Minnesotans realize. And Corrie's got the figures to prove it.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

North End, Greater East Side, Dayton's Bluff, Central Avenue, Phillips, Midway, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, West Side, Lake Street, North Side, Seward, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Payne - Phalen, Powderhorn, Summit - University

Smith Avenue looks to the future

Susan Klemond Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Smith Avenue between the High Bridge and Dodd Road is very Saint Paul: comfortable houses alternate with an eclectic mix of independent businesses with loads of local character. A plan's afoot to turn this under-the-radar neighborhood into a full-fledged retail destination--without letting it lose its soul.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Strong Local Economy

West Side

The sound of Ceol Heights: An Irish music renaissance on Saint Paul's West Side

Susan Klemond Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Guitarist Da�th� Sproule, a globe-trotting member of the Celtic supergroup Altan and one of the true giants of traditional Irish music, lives not in Dublin or New York but on Saint Paul's West Side--along with a growing community of musicians who play Irish music locally and nationally, and who love the fact that their close-knit neighborhood gives them plenty of chances to get together and jam.

Arts and Culture, Diversity

West Side

Super subcultures, great neighborhoods: 14 experts on what makes the Twin Cities special

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What's the special sauce that makes so many bright people who come here stay here--and a lot people who go away, come back? (And what do we need to make that sauce even richer?) Some local creative types weigh in.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown/Lowertown, North Side, Downtown, Seward, West Side, Northeast