Featured Stories

Make the Switch from Car to Bike Commute This Winter: Here's How

Brian Martucci Tuesday, December 08, 2015

Imagine a day in a bike commuter’s boots. How does he or she prepare before walking out the door? How do they stay comfortable behind Arctic fronts and snow curtains — even the dreaded polar vortex. Here's how.

Entrepreneurship, Shopping, Sustainability, Transportation

How a Car-Free Calling Led to a Healthier, Fuller, Smaller-Footprint Life

Brian Martucci Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Tami Traeger, Nice Ride MN's director of outreach and sponsor relationships, explains how a car-free calling led her to align her lifestyle with her values and smaller-footprint living.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transportation

Seward

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

How a Car-Free Lifestyle Led to a More Experience-Based Life

Brian Martucci Wednesday, November 19, 2014

A transit user and cyclist explains why he traded the conveniences of car ownership for an “experience-based lifestyle.”

Sustainability, Transportation

Seward, Warehouse/North Loop

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

Nancy Fischer and Lars Christiansen, photo by Brian Martucci

How Being "Car Ownership Free" Led to Healthy Living, Community Organizing and Embracing Transit

Brian Martucci Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Two years ago, Lars Christiansen and Nancy Fischer sold their car and plunged into the Twin Cities’ rich network of public and alternative modes of transportation, which led to a healthier lifestyle and innovating the Friendly Streets Initiative.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Sustainability, Transportation

Midway, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Seward, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

The Real-World Impacts of Creative Placemaking in MSP

Sheila Regan Wednesday, September 10, 2014

NEA, ArtPlace and others have poured millions of dollars toward creative placemaking projects in the Twin Cities in recent years. What are the street-level results of those investments?

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

University, Lake Street, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Seward, Longfellow, Powderhorn

Urban Organics produce at the Lund's Penfield, courtesy Urban Organics

Urban Farm to Urban Table: Growing and Sourcing Hyper-Local Food in the Twin Cities

Brian Martucci Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Twin Cities is emerging as a hotbed of innovative agricultural activity. An ambitious group of producers and retailers aims to redefine what it means to be local, and give retaurants and consumers more control over what they eat and drink.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability

Riverfront/Mill District, Midway, Downtown, Lake Street, Southwest, Seward, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Northeast

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

Heidi Skoog, maker of Serious Jam, Courtesy Kern Nickerson

Cooking Up Entrepreneurship in Twin Cities Incubator Kitchens

Anne Jin Soo Preston Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Incubator or community kitchens have been gaining momentum in the Twin Cities, bringing together food entrepreneurs, ingredients, and innovation.

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

Como Park, Phillips, Midway, Lake Street, North Side, Seward, Powderhorn

VideoLine: Intercultural Opportunities

Minnesota 2020 Wednesday, January 09, 2013

From our friends at Minnesota 2020, a video about how immigrants and their needs and preferences are helping Minnesota farmers develop new crops and new markets.

diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Seward

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

Behind the Bicycle Boom

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Most of us in the Twin Cities are aware that we've become a great town for bicycling in recent years, but urbanist and author Jay Walljasper--an avid biker for decades--has been digging into the trend to find out the what and the why behind it. In this adaptation of an article he wrote for Bikes Belong, he fills in the story and gives us some impressive facts about the sheer scale and promise of our new two-wheel era.

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

Riverfront/Mill District, Phillips, University, Macalester - Groveland, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Lake Street, Southwest, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Seward, Nokomis, Longfellow, Calhoun - Isles, Powderhorn, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Videoline: Celebrating the Midtown Greenway

Streetfilms Wednesday, October 19, 2011

To accompany Jay Walljasper's take on bike policy and bike culture in the Twin Cities, here's a video by Streetfilms that shows just how valuable one of the crown jewels in our bikeway system is--the Midtown Greenway, running more or less parallel to Lake Street from Chowen Avenue to the Mississippi River.

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