Featured Stories

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

"Honor the Spirit" Dania Hall Memorial. shot by Allen Zumach

A Line or Two: Our Past, Present, and Future in the Dania Hall Memorial

Jon Spayde Wednesday, February 27, 2013

This week: A greeting card in a coffee shop sends me to a Minneapolis West Bank memorial that recalls a beloved, vanished building and honors the history and traditions of generations of West Bankers.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, Design, diversity, Reuse / Rebuild

Cedar - Riverside/West Bank

A Line or Two: Saymoukda Vongsay's "When Poets Found Bass"

Jon Spayde Wednesday, February 20, 2013

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: A multi-everything hip-hop/spoken word extravaganza organized by our coolest Lao-American diva and sponsored by the lovable Saint Paul Almanac.

Arts and Culture, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

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

Geek gals: Can the Twin Cities lead in helping women take their place in high tech?

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Despite some women-led startups, high tech here, as elsewhere, is still more or less drowning in testosterone. But some strong local initiatives are pointing the way toward more opportunities for women to get their geek on.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Emerging Technology, High Technology

A Line or Two: Dinner with LaDuke

Jon Spayde Wednesday, January 16, 2013

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: Thanks to the cooks-with-a-conscience at Eat for Equity, you've got a chance to share a meal, and a cause, with famed activist (and Green Party vice-presidential candidate) Winona La Duke.

Creative Leadership, diversity, Philanthropy, Sustainability

Rebuilding More than Houses

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, January 16, 2013

A pair of determined nonprofits, Minneapolis' Urban Homeworks and Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services in Saint Paul, begin by fixing up damaged, foreclosed, and derelict houses--and then go on to help strengthen the surrounding neighborhoods in many other ways.

Affordable Housing, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Reuse / Rebuild

Dayton's Bluff, North Side

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

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

John Larsen in conversation with Jon Spayde

Young Leaders 1: Architect/Philanthropist John Larsen on Going Beyond Grantmaking

Jon Spayde Wednesday, December 12, 2012

In this first of an occasional series of interviews with young movers and shakers in the Twin Cities, we talk with John Larsen, an architect whose personal giving, and family foundation, support deeply held personal values rooted in personal experiences. For Larsen, philanthropy needs to explore options beyond writing checks--like new partnerships with government.

Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Philanthropy, Sustainability

Calhoun - Isles

Purple Rice and Papaya Salad at Palace's Pizza

A Line or Two: The Hmong Pizzerias

Jon Spayde Wednesday, December 12, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: Papaya salad, purple rice, or pho with your pizza?

diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy

Payne - Phalen, Summit - University

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

Kerry Muse, Chief Education Officer of Venture Academy, at the school's proposed site

Venture Academy: Toward a Whole New Level of Learning

Elizabeth Millard Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The education innovators behind this charter school are hoping to create a 21st-century fusion of classroom and digital space, where kids' fascination with technology helps them learn--at their own pace.

Creative Leadership, diversity, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Talent Dividend

A Line or Two: SciSpark!

Jon Spayde Wednesday, November 14, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my enthusiasms and discoveries as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: You've got a chance on Monday to peek into the laboratories of advanced bio-researchers at the University of Minnesota, as guests of the U's union of GLBTQ scientists.

Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Emerging Technology, Green Jobs, High Technology, Higher Education, Life Sciences

Gabriel Schlough of WAMM talks health with students in Sierra Leone

Local nonprofits redefine aid to Africa

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, October 31, 2012

With 150,000 immigrants and refugees from Africa living within its borders, Minnesota's ties to the continent are growing. Some nonprofits here are leading the way toward a new model for helping Africa develop, replacing the top-down aid mentality with models of mutuality, transparency, and--most of all--face-to-face friendship.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Healthcare, Philanthropy

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