Future of Minneapolis Open Streets in Question

The city denied a request for funding and ended its contract with the organizing nonprofit, placing future events in jeopardy.

1 minute read

August 25, 2023, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Diverse people of all ages walking and biking at Minneapolis Open Streets event with temporary festival booths along the sides of the street

City of Minneapolis / Open Streets

The city of Minneapolis abruptly ended its partnership with Our Streets Minneapolis, the nonprofit that led the city’s Open Street events.

According to an article by Audrey Kennedy in Axios, “The announcement came a few weeks after Our Streets requested $851,000 in city funds to hold five events in 2024. The group's current contract was for $0.”

The popular Open Streets festivals drew over 100,000 people in 2022. Our Streets executive director José Antonio Zayas Cabán expressed optimism that the city council could still change the budget and allow the events to continue. 

Kennedy adds, “Public works plans to launch its own event series next year focused on showcasing the city's recent investments in making walking, rolling and biking safer and easier, according to a statement provided to Axios,” but that series is “not intended to replace Open Streets.”

Monday, August 21, 2023 in Axios

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive