Featured Stories

Throughout the U.S., Public Art Engages Communities and Transforms Neighborhoods

Elaine Labalme Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Public art has evolved into an essential element of urban placemaking and social engagement. From murals on vacant buidlings to art in laundormats to temporary art installations that invite public participation, we take a look at public art and how it's changing cities.

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

Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

A Line or Two: BRT and Me

Jon Spayde Wednesday, June 26, 2013

With Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) a possible future option for areas of Minneapolis and Saint Paul where light rail isn't feasible, I decided to take ride on Apple Valley's newly opened BRT route (the Red Line) to check it out. And why not? I'd already checked into a suburban hotel after the power went out at home.

Design, Regionalism, Transit Oriented Development

A charging station at Saint Paul's RiverCentre

Where to charge your car: Electric-car "refueling" stations in the Twin Cities

Anna Pratt Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Charging stations for electric cars are popping up here and there in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. In fact, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is working to install up to 76 electric car-charging stations throughout the metro area, adding to an already expanding network. Here's our guide (a work in progress) to our towns' car-charging infrastructure.

Coordination/Collaboration, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

The Big Picture: Laura Zabel on Art's New Roles in the Community

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 01, 2013

The nonprofit Springboard for the Arts used to concentrate solely on career development for artists. Now, under the leadership of Laura Zabel, it's become a powerful force in redefining the whole relationship between artists and the communities they live in--and in marshaling artistic creativity to improve those communities.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown/Lowertown

The Building Sustainable Communities Program: Art for Everybody's Neighborhood

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Art lives in the Twin Cities--and not just in the tonier parts of town. Thanks to initiatives like Twin Cities LISC's Building Sustainable Communities program, art and artists are taking major roles in helping some of our most challenged inner-city communities thrive.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Philanthropy, Reuse / Rebuild, Talent Dividend, Transit Oriented Development

Phillips, North Side, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Powderhorn, Summit - University

Mike Hatzis, owner of the Best Steak House on University Avenue

Relief--and optimism--as light rail construction winds down

Dan Heilman Wednesday, March 27, 2013

As the building phase of the Central Corridor line finishes up, it's becoming clear that--thankfully--the direst predictions of business disruption didn't materialize. Now enterprises up and down the corridor are getting used to the new normal.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Midway, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

Living Downtown: What's Promising, What's Missing

Agata Miszczyk Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Both St. Paul and Minneapolis have committed themselves to making their downtowns more residential, with major projects to develop the infrastructure a genuine residential neighborhood requires. But, says Minnesota 2020 fellow Agata Miszczyk, an emphasis on rental units and luxury buildings is holding back the vitality that the downtowns need.

Affordable Housing, Creative Leadership, diversity, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown

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

Public Transit Head to Head: Portland versus Minneapolis

Amber Collett Wednesday, February 06, 2013

According to Amber Collett, a transit and bike activist (and a former Twin Cities resident), we've got reason to envy Portland's bike-friendly transit system. But Minneapolis actually wins in the comparison. Why? Read on.

Central Corridor, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

The New North Loop: Both Cool and Comfortable

Anna Pratt Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The bars and restaurants in this uber-trendy corner of downtown Minneapolis draw national attention. Meanwhile, developers, community groups, and residents are turning the surrounding neighborhood into a pleasantly dense, lively, and livable urban village.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Reuse / Rebuild, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development

Warehouse/North Loop

Artist rendering of the Capitol East Station

Central Corridor Success: The Green Line is Already Earning Greenbacks

Conrad DeFiebre Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Central Corridor light rail line (aka the Green Line) won't be finished till 2014, but it's already earning its keep, writes Conrad LeFiebre of MN 2020, as development advances, once-disrupted business stabilizes, and observers add up the unique advantages of a line that connects two downtowns.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Urbanist Charles Landry on the Twin Cities: reknit the urban fabric, learn to brag

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Jay Walljasper checks in with British urbanist Charles Landry, who recaps his experience touring the Twin Cities, meeting a wide array of local urban changemakers, and applying his principles of city vitality to our reality. And Landry draws some conclusions about how our towns can thrive in the coming decades.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Where light rail can't go: "rapid bus" is coming

Conrad deFiebre Wednesday, November 14, 2012

In this blog post from Minnesota 2020, Conrad deFiebre argues that, while light rail is both successful and expanding in the Twin Cities, it's not the only answer to the 21st-century transit question in our metro. Meet the "rapid bus," a transit mode that mimics rail--on rubber tires.

Central Corridor, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

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

Chris Coleman's Saint Paul: A City with a Scene

Jon Spayde Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Saint Paul's music-loving mayor wants a city with a scene--a dynamic downtown with the special energy that only art and music provide. Last Thursday he shared some successes, some hopes, and some rock-concert memories with The Line.

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

Downtown/Lowertown