Minnesota

Revitalizing an Industrial Mill Site as an Industrial Mill

The Faribault Woolen Mill in Faribault, Minnesota was opened in 1865, and closed in 2009. Two brothers intend to reuse the site for its original use, using an historic preservation credit to help fund the business.

September 20, 2011 - Preservation Alliance of Minnesota

Popular Complete Streets Policy Killed by City Council

According to Kari Petrie, a highly popular Complete Streets measure in St. Cloud, Minnesota couldn't get a majority of votes from the City Council.

September 13, 2011 - SC Times

Mixed-Use Prevails in 2030 Land Use Projections

A new land use study based on the 2008 "comp plans" data reveals a significant shift toward mixed-use and transit-oriented developments (TODs) in the Twin Cities seven-county metro area.

September 8, 2011 - Finance And Commerce

Boston Bike Share Program Surpasses Expectations in Early Success

Boston's bike share program Hubway has attracted 2,319 annual subscribers and had 36,612 station-to-station trips after one month of being open, reportst Erick Moskowitz for The Boston Globe.

September 7, 2011 - The Boston Globe

Connecting Communities Through Food

A student in a social design class opened a halal hotdog stand to encourage broader acceptance of Minneapolis' Somali community, combining Muslim and American traditions in one mustard-filled bun.

September 3, 2011 - GOOD Magazine

Downtown Minneapolis Unprepared for Influx of Children

The amount of children under five has jumped in downtown Minneapolis, which is posing problems for the city and its school system.

July 20, 2011 - Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune

Bikes Will Be "Incredibly Sexy and Utterly Normal"

Jay Walljasper argues that the era of specialized, Spandex-clad bicyclists dominating the road is coming to an end - the future is in normal folk taking to the road and taking advantage of the numerous benefits to society that comes from bicycling.

July 11, 2011 - Jay Walljasper

"There Aren't Nearly Enough People Here."

That was David Motzenbecker's thought as he began a public meeting of the Minneapolis Planning Department, which inspired him to re-think how the city engages the public.

May 11, 2011 - On The Commons

Does Minneapolis Need a Casino?

Columnist Steve Berg thinks Minneapolis must be having an identity crisis. What else would explain the city seriously considering putting a casino downtown?

May 9, 2011 - The Minneapolis Post

Minneapolis Questions Worth of Casino Project

A proposal to build a casino in downtown Minneapolis has locals and lawmakers wondering if it's a good deal for the city. The governor wants more than the suggested 25% take of revenues, but others say even that is not worthwhile.

May 6, 2011 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune

Other Cities Look at L.A.'s Transit Funding Plan

Los Angeles has taxed itself to raise money for transit projects, and now officials want to borrow against those future earnings to speed up projects. This article wonders if that's a model other cities can and should follow.

May 4, 2011 - The Minn Post

Videos Critique Twin Cities' Skyways

Skyways in Minneapolis and St. Paul have been a major part of the two cities downtowns for years, but are also blamed for killing their streetlife. A new video competition challenged filmmakers to explore that dichotomy.

April 7, 2011 - MinnPost

New Riverfront for Minneapolis

The city of lakes ironically gets a redesigned riverfront, as was unveiled by the city's Park and Recreation Board. Click for more and the video of the winning design.

March 9, 2011 - THE DIRT

Housing Downturn Hits Unsuspecting Markets

Areas once thought to be virtually immune to the downturn in the housing market are starting to see signs of decline.

February 14, 2011 - The New York Times

Seeking a Greener Future for Downtown Minneapolis

With a downtown largely devoid of trees, Minneapolis is considering a new plan that would add more green life and greenspace to the city's center.

January 26, 2011 - MinnPost

Construction Begins on St. Paul Transportation Hub

Work begins at the Union Depot, restoring the historic building into a transportation hub for light rail, buses, taxis and bikes and pedestrians.

January 20, 2011 - Star Tribune

New Stadium Succeeds in Minneapolis

Brendan Patrick Hughes examines what other cities can learn from the recently constructed Target Field.

December 1, 2010 - Next American City

Managed Roads Favored Over Expansion in Twin Cities

Officials in the Twin Cities are looking to shift away from major road expansion projects and focus more on creating managed lanes that are intended to put a price on avoiding traffic within the two cities.

September 29, 2010 - Minneapolis-St.Paul Star Tribune

Will Light Rail Kill Businesses?

Rick Harrison tells a parable of a small businessman who's auto shop is decimated when a traffic engineer decides to put a median on the adjoining road, eliminating left turns into his shop. Will light rail essentially do the same?

September 23, 2010 - New Geography

Downtown Improvement District Lives Up To Name

This column from MinnPost praises the year-old Downtown Improvement District in Minneapolis for helping to revive the city's downtown core and give people a reason to walk.

August 12, 2010 - MinnPost

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.