Featured Stories

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

Assisting Fellows via the C3 and CCAP programs

Jobs, Housing, Transit: Leveraging the Economic Power of the Central Corridor's Anchor Institutions

Brian Martucci Wednesday, February 12, 2014

How key non-profits have forged partnerships with healthcare institutions along the Green Line to generate corridors of opportunity for job seekers, residents, and communities.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Healthcare, Higher Education, Strong Local Economy, Transportation

University, Midway, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Saint Anthony Park, Downtown/Lowertown

City Art: New thinking about public art in Saint Paul is transforming the public sphere

Christine Podas-Larson Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Saint Anthony Park, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Payne - Phalen

Digital view of the exterior of the Urban Growler brewery

Brewers and Architects Spark the Next Brewpub Boom--Along the Green Line

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Three about-to-open brewpubs and a new facility for a well established fourth are turning the Central Corridor area in Saint Paul and Minneapolis into the newest brewpub hot zone. And the architecture is as ambitous as the beer.

Central Corridor, Design, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy

University, Midway, Saint Anthony Park

These entrepreneurs chose the Green Line

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, June 19, 2013

It's been an article of faith since Central Corridor light rail (Green Line) construction began that, despite all the disruption and traffic chaos of the building stage, the line would eventually become a magnet for local entrepreneurs. That scenario appears to be playing out; here are three entrepreneurial ventures that were lured to the line by light rail's promise.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Strong Local Economy, Transportation

Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

The TU Dance Center: Movement in the Neighborhood

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, February 06, 2013

When globetrotting dancers and choreographers Uri Sands and Toni Pierce-Sands, formerly of the Alvin Ailey company, decided to establish a new kind of multicultural dance school in Saint Paul, they knew where they wanted it to be: along the Central Corridor in the heart of the city.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Creative Economy, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Transit Oriented Development

Saint Anthony Park

Microlending and More for Women's Business Dreams: WomenVenture

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Saint Paul's WomenVenture helps woman-run startups get off the ground with a potent mix of feminist spirit, microlending, and business incubation. But as its clients testify, it's the group's commitment to ongoing support that sets it apart.

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

Saint Anthony Park

A Line or Two: Honoring an Offbeat Minnesota Artist

Jon Spayde Wednesday, October 03, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities.Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: The IFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts lauds James Bakkom, a one-of-a-kind artist who also contributed to some of our region's finest achievements in theater and film.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design

Saint Anthony Park

Christine Baeumler with her Tamarack Bog Installation at MCAD

Growing new art ideas along the Central Corridor

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Far from simply decorating the light-rail route, Saint Paul's Central Corridor Public Art Plan is redefining art in the public sphere.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Saint Anthony Park, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

VideoLine: Broken Crow's Mural Menagerie

Springboard for the Arts Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Mike Fitzsimmons and John Grider, AKA Broken Crow, explain how the Irrigate initiative helped get their intense, stylish animal images up on a University Avenue business--helping that business to stand out during light rail construction.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Creative Economy, Design, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Saint Anthony Park

John Spayde speaking with Dane Smith and Maureen Ramirez

The Big Picture: Dane Smith and Maureen Ramirez on justice, jobs, and education

Jon Spayde Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The president and the research/policy director of the local think tank Growth and Justice are "business-oriented progressives." In the face of dogma to the contrary, they dare to assert that there's an unbreakable link between economic fairness and economic growth. And they're bringing that spirit to the most compelling economic issue of all: jobs.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Higher Education, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

Saint Anthony Park

A Line or Two: Irrigate!

Jon Spayde Wednesday, June 20, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: Get to know Irrigate, our public-spirited and art-fueled Central Corridor placemaking project.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Design, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

A Line or Two: Five More from My Top-Ten List

Jon Spayde Wednesday, February 15, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities--call it an editor's-note-as-blog-entry. This week: five more of my Top Ten Reasons to Visit (and Love) the Twin Cities. It's a list of offbeat but worthy places and happenings that you might miss if you only visit our big-ticket attractions.

Arts and Culture, Design

Union Park, Saint Anthony Park, Summit Hill and Crocus Hill, Warehouse/North Loop

Verdict: The "Buy Local" Campaign Helped Central Corridor Businesses Stay Healthy

Dan Heilman Wednesday, February 01, 2012

An aggressive, and unconventional, marketing campaign to keep people coming to Central Corridor businesses during light rail construction in 2011 appears to have paid off in less business decline than expected--and a mood of cautious optimism about the future.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Midway, Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

Revisiting the Central Corridor's Funky Treasures: A SLide Show

Bill Kelley, Jon Spayde Wednesday, February 01, 2012

In one magical zone in the Twin Cities, there's a loon made of junk, a chimney covered in shattered glass and ceramic shards, and a place to buy tarantulas. It's called the Central Corridor. Here's a second look at what photographer Bill Kelley and managing editor Jon Spayde picked out last year as they traveled down University Avenue and Washington Avenue, seeking out their favorite offbeat, oddball, one-of-a-kind things.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Creative Economy, Design, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

University, Saint Anthony Park, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University