Featured Stories

Chris Andrejka training vines in the hops garden, courtesy Star Tribune

How Local is Your Beer? The Rise of Regional Ingredients

Issue Media Group Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Despite our love of micro-brews, many of the ingredients in our favorite beers haven't been sourced locally. That's changing as brewers tap into the local farming movement in their communities to add more fresh flavors and ingredients.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Nightlife

Como Park, West Seventh

The Power of Co-Working: Why MSP's Tech Startups Are Pooling Resources and Talents

Brian Martucci Wednesday, August 06, 2014

MSP isn't usually mentioned in the same breath as Silicon Valley and Austin. But our local tech startup scene is leaping forward due to homegrown co-working companies, which lower barriers to success, growth and profitability through collaboration.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

University, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown

MSP's Sharing Economy Hits the Road: The Scoop on Lyft, Uber, Car2Go and HourCar

Brian Martucci Wednesday, July 16, 2014

CoCo's coworking spaces, NiceRide's ubiquitous bikes and incubator kitchens were just the beginning. The sharing economy storming the Twin Cities also includes a burgeoning ridesharing (or carsharing) phenomenon.

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

The Lunds next to Chute Square in Minneapolis, courtesy Steve/sdate

The Complete City: Why Density and Amenities Are Essential to Everyday Urban Living

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, July 09, 2014

After decades of population loss, many cities are now growing faster than the rest of their metro areas. Urban living is now the new normal. What amenities are necessary to sustain a dense and vibrant city? The answers might surprise you.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Nightlife, Reuse / Rebuild, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

One of Seeyond's innovative enclosures, courtesy Seeyond

Design Tech: Why MSP is a Hotbed of Manufacturing and Fabrication Innovation

John Comazzi Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Twin Cities metro is a hotbed of manufacturers and fabricators innovating and growing their businesses to provide easier, faster, less expensive solutions for design and construction challenges.

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technologies, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship

Downtown, Southwest, Northeast

Food trucks line Mears Park in St. Paul, courtesy Visit St. Paul

Moveable Feasts: MSP's Food Truck Boom Inspires Appetites, Community, Culinary Startups

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, June 04, 2014

What turns a pint at the local microbrewery into a feast? Transforms ho-hum lunch hours into culinary adventures? Generates curbside communities? Tests an entrepreneur's appetite for a new business? Twin Cities food trucks!

Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Shopping

Central Avenue, Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Lake Street, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop

Revelers do the brew at Dangerous Man, courtesy Dangerous Man Brewing

Twin Cities Brew Boom Taps Into Placemaking, Entrepreneurship, Neighborhood Synergies

Brian Martucci Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Since the passage of the Surly Bill 2012, craft-beer entrepreneurs have rapidly opened breweries with taprooms in neighborhoods throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul. All are doing their part to turn neighborhoods into top-of-mind destinations.

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

Central Avenue, Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Lake Street, Southwest, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

Photo by Phillip Hussong RedWire Creative for JXTA, courtesy of JXTA

JXTA + North Minneapolis Youth = Community and Futures

Sheila Regan Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Since 2010, JXTA has been providing paid opportunities for young people to gain skills in art and design. These youth make an hourly wage, between minimum wage and $10 per hour, while being trained in areas like graphic design and contemporary art.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Talent Dividend

North Side

The young women of Little Mekong, courtesy Little Mekong

Cultural Districts + LRT Stops: A Guide to the Central Corridor's Arts and Culture Hotspots

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The Central Corridor is becoming the Twin Cities' new cultural hotspot showcasing local diversity, bringing communities closer together, and boosting economic opportunities.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

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

Creative CityMaking: Minneapolis' Model for Diversity in Placemaking

Brian Martucci Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Creative CityMaking, Intermedia Arts’ bold placemaking, problem-solving collaboration with the City of Minneapolis, recently received a three-year grant that promises to deepen the initiative’s reach in previously unimaginable ways.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Philanthropy, Transit Oriented Development

University, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake

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

Saint Paul Artist Oskar Ly: An Organizer and Ambassador for Hmong Arts

Nicole Rupersburg Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Issue Media Group (The Line's parent company) has launched Creative Exchange, a national online platform for storytelling and resource sharing around creativity and community. Saint Paul artist/organizer Oskar Ly was featured in the first issue.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity

Midway, Downtown/Lowertown

Club E: Networking Group Supports Twin Cities' Startups

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, March 12, 2014

From beer sampling to wearable tech to Pecha Kucha, Club Entrepreneur is cultivating new business relationships and startups by supporting Twin Cities' innovators with actionable content and connections.

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

Downtown

One of Vorderbruggen's "Starcatcher" windows

Joan Vorderbruggen: Reawakening Empty Storefronts to Their Community Potential

Ann Klefstad Wednesday, March 05, 2014

The first article in a new series on Twin Cities artists who build community, activate space, engage viewers, and stimulate interaction or dialogue with their work, and how their creative placemaking helps reveal and enhance community identity.

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

Downtown, Powderhorn

Ten Thousand Things in "The Music Man," photo by Paula Keller

Ten Thousand Things: Connecting with Communities Through Imaginative Theater

Carl Atiya Swanson Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Minneapolis theater company Ten Thousand Things builds connections both radical and backed by tradition by telling stories for intimate and often non-traditional audiences, with the lights up and minimal staging, using the power of communal imagination.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Talent Dividend

University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Lake Street, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Powderhorn