Featured Stories

Water Works Park, rendering courtesy of SCAPE

10 Development Projects That Will Transform MSP in 2015

Phillip Koski Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Enjoy this roundup of 10 exciting architectural and development additions to Minneapolis and St. Paul that promise to transform neighborhoods, enrich our quality of life and add to the roster of “must see” attractions for out-of-town guests.

Affordable Housing, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Phillips, University, Downtown, Lake Street, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Ayan Hussein, employment and financial coach, with a resident

MSP's Financial Opportunity Centers: Bundling Services for Economic Stability

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, November 05, 2014

CommonBond, an innovative non-profit organization that operates 95 housing developments throughout the Upper Midwest, also offers residents classes and one-on-one counseling about school, employment, finances, and health and wellness.

Affordable Housing, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

Union Park

Equity, Empowerment: How Community-Driven TOD is Transforming Green Line Neighborhoods

Brian Martucci Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Four neighborhood initiatives along the Green Line demonstrate how the Central Corridor is becoming a local and national model for equitable and empowering community-driven transit-oriented development (TOD).

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

University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

Planners attribute $2.5 billion in new development to the Green Line, photo by Kyle Mianulli

Beyond the Rails: Mapping the Development, Cultural and Community Impact of the New Green Line

Kyle Mianulli Wednesday, June 11, 2014

More than providing a convenient, environmentally friendly transit option, the $957 million Green Line light-rail project down the Central Corridor is proving a catalyst for rejuvenating the once vibrant, 11-mile spine connecting the Twin Cities.

Affordable Housing, Central Corridor, diversity, Shopping, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Union Park, University, Macalester - Groveland, Midway, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Saint Anthony Park, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Summit - University

David Graham at Gold Medal Park and Zenith Condos

Q+A: David Graham, the city building architect, and his ecosystem approach to density

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Affordable Housing, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Northeast

The Challenges of Building "The Essential House"

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Architect Daniel Yudchitz decided to design and build a small, sustainable, low-cost, energy-efficient house for himself in Saint Paul's challenged Rondo neighborhood, to demonstrate how architecture could promote urban reinvestment. And then the banks weighed in.

Affordable Housing, Design, Energy, Sustainability

Summit - University

Anchor districts emerge as powerful players in bid to shape the new metropolis

Lee Chilcote Wednesday, March 13, 2013

On the frontier of urban development today are some big players: major medical, educational, and other institutions with a stake in the growth and well-being of their communities. They're not just building new buildings--they're revitalizing neighborhoods in partnership with government, nonprofits, and citizens.

Affordable Housing, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy

Phillips

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

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

Hennepin's History and Hennepin's Future

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Native American trail, gaudy entertainment district, forge of gay consciousness, showcase of the arts: Minneapolis' Hennepin Avenue has been all of these and more. Recently, historians, urbanists, and the public gathered to explore the avenue's colorful history as part of the city's initiative to shape its future.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Nightlife, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Downtown

The Big Picture 6: Peter Musty on our neighborhoods and ourselves

Jon Spayde Wednesday, July 20, 2011

For urban designer Peter Musty, who's collaborating on plans for the Loring neighborhood in Minneapolis and the Ford site in St, Paul, walkable, transit-focused neighborhoods are non-negotiable. We need them for our health and prosperity--and to help our culture calm down.

Affordable Housing, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Regionalism, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, Longfellow, Highland Park, Downtown/Lowertown, Northeast

VideoLine: Making the green economy inclusive

greenforall.org Wednesday, June 15, 2011

"Environmental justice is the new civil rights movement," says a young woman in this video, created by the organization Green for All. The video, posted last month, highlights a number of green jobs efforts in the Twin Cities that marry sustainability and social justice.

Affordable Housing, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Green Jobs

Despite tight money, local developers are rallying to house, and help, the homeless

Anna Pratt Wednesday, March 23, 2011

When the Great Recession swept in, it took a toll on development--including the building of new housing for the homeless. But now, along with other signs of life in the economy, local developers in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors are back on the job in a highly visible way, rehabbing major buildings and creating "support housing" within them--places to live that also offer services that help keep people off the streets.

Affordable Housing, Creative Leadership, Reuse / Rebuild

Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown

Johnny Northside and friends: North Minneapolis' best-known blogger has spawned his own blogosphere

Anna Pratt Wednesday, February 02, 2011

John Hoff, aka Johnny Northside, blogs about North Minneapolis with passion and personality. He believes the neighborhood is headed "someplace amazing," and he's helping it get there with stories about its pleasures and problems. And he's inspired others to join the cyber-conversation, co-creating one of the most vibrant civic blogospheres in town.

Affordable Housing, Cooperation/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Diversity

North Side

An Artist's Rendering of The Capitol East Station

All aboard: Years before it rolls, Central Corridor light rail is already connecting Twin Citians

Chris Steller Wednesday, July 21, 2010

It's four years before a single train is slated to set out on the tracks, but the Central Corridor light rail line between Minneapolis and Saint Paul has already created a powerful network of connections across the Twin Cities. In particular, ad-hoc collaboratives, instead of a single light-rail "czar" or bureaucracy, and Saint Paul's traditionally strong neighborhood political structure, have pushed planning for how the line will impact the city now and in years to come.

Affordable Housing, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Transit Oriented Development

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