Minnesota

Rendering of land bridge over freeway in St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Paul Land Bridge Study Wins Federal Grant

A proposed land bridge that would reconnect the Rondo neighborhood is one of the dozens of projects to be awarded a Reconnecting Communities grant this week.

March 2, 2023 - MinnPost

Power lines against sunset sky and snowy landscape in rural Minnesota

Minnesota Utilities to Go Carbon-Free by 2040

If signed by the governor, a new state law would require all utilities in the state to switch to renewable energy within two decades.

February 7, 2023 - Route Fifty

Metro Transit Minneapolis

Minneapolis Leans Into Bus Rapid Transit

The city wants to become North America’s ‘bus rapid transit capital.’

December 13, 2022 - Governing

People examining parked goMARTI vans at launch event

Grand Rapids Tests First Rural Autonomous Shuttle

The town launched a five-vehicle fleet aimed at improving mobility for residents in the rural community.

November 30, 2022 - The Daily Yonder

Rochester, Minnesota aerial view

Rochester to Update Bicycle Master Plan with More Multimodal Infrastructure

The new active transportation plan will amend the existing bicycle master plan to include additional safety improvements for pedestrians and other multimodal road users.

October 18, 2022 - Post-Bulletin

goMARTI autinomous shuttle van

Minnesota Uses Autonomous Shuttles To Improve Mobility

A pilot program will provide free rides to help rural and elderly residents reach more destinations.

October 10, 2022 - LPTV

Bike on bridge in Minneapolis with skyline in background

Study: Biking Brings Happiness

A Minneapolis study showed cyclists experienced the highest rates of satisfaction during their commute.

October 5, 2022 - Forbes

Blue and yellow light rail train pulling into outdoor station in St. Paul, MInnesota

Twin Cities Volunteers Help Recent Immigrants Navigate Transit

Showing refugee and immigrant residents how to use public transportation can improve access to essential services, jobs, and education, but a more robust transit system is needed to effectively serve all who need it.

September 20, 2022 - Next City

An image of St. Paul, Minnesota and the Mississippi River at nightfall.

St. Paul Revises Rent Stabilization Ordinance

The city is pulling back on some provisions in the rent stabilization ordinance passed by voters last fall.

September 20, 2022 - MinnPost

Electric Cars

Will California's EV Rule Spread to Other States?

Last month California banned the sale of new light duty vehicles powered by internal combustion engines by 2035. Over a dozen other states have the ability to adopt the same rule, but will they? The Associated Press investigates nine of them.

September 7, 2022 - The Associated Press

Two-story apartment building behind black iron fence in Pacoima, California

More Research Needed to Understand the Rental Market

Large institutional investors are changing the realities of the U.S. rental housing market, but a lack of information makes it hard for cities to respond.

September 7, 2022 - Urban Institute

Zoning Code Rendering

Minneapolis 2040 Implementation Allowed to Proceed … For Now

The same judge that blocked implementation of the landmark Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan in June 2022 has allowed a temporary reprieve for planning work in the city to proceed.

July 28, 2022 - Star Tribune

Minneapolis Bike Lanes

Touring One of the U.S.’s Best Biking Cities: Minneapolis

The latest Streetfilms release offers an in-person, on-bike tour of Minneapolis.

July 14, 2022 - Streetfilms

View of high-rise apartment building in St. Paul, Minnesota at sunset

St. Paul Landlords Raising Utility Costs To Circumvent Rent Control

After the city passed a rent stabilization ordinance, landlords are reworking leases to include new utility charges, effectively raising rents by as much as 14 percent.

July 12, 2022 - Minnesota Reformer

Minneapolis

Judge Blocks Minneapolis 2040 Implementation, Citing Lack of Environmental Review

Environmentalists have used the power of the legal system to protect the car-centric status quo of single-family zoning once again, overturning a landmark planning innovation in Minneapolis.

June 21, 2022 - MPR News

A conceptual rendering of a large development, with several buildings of about 7 or 8 stories high surrounding an open green space.

St. Paul Approves Master Plan for Thousands of New Jobs and Homes

A new neighborhood dubbed “The Heights” is planned for the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota.

June 3, 2022 - Pioneer Press

View of St. Paul skyline from Minneapolis with apartment building in foreground

What the Pandemic Taught Us About Eliminating Homelessness

Housing advocates say the additional resources made possible by federal relief funds offer a useful model for improving conditions for unhoused people.

May 24, 2022 - MinnPost

The Washington St Bridge in Minneapolis is shown with downtown Minneapolis in the background.

Minnesota Republicans Kill Passenger Rail, Freeway Cap Projects

Republicans in the Minnesota State Senate blocked the planning of a proposed passenger rail route between Duluth and the Twin Cities in addition to a plan for a freeway cap in a historically Black neighborhood in St. Paul.

May 19, 2022 - MPR News

An image of St. Paul, Minnesota and the Mississippi River at nightfall.

Minneapolis Housing Activists Hope To Revive 2014 Federal Complaint

A 2014 complaint about segregated housing lodged with the Department of Housing and Urban Development could revive integrationist housing policies to improve opportunities for all residents.

May 18, 2022 - Governing

Twin Cities

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think

Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

May 13, 2022 - Reason

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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Planning for Universal Design

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