Star Tribune

Light rail train at station in St, Paul, Minnesota.

St. Paul ‘Arterial BRT’ Could Be Faster, Cost Less Than Streetcar

Officials are eyeing a plan that could replace a proposed streetcar line with a bus rapid transit line.

March 13, 2024 - Star Tribune

View of parking structures and downtown St. Paul, Minnesota skyline.

Minnesota Legislator Proposes Parking Reform Bill

The bill would build on nationwide momentum to eliminate minimum parking requirements.

January 30, 2024 - Star Tribune

Bike on bridge in Minneapolis with skyline in background

Environmental Groups Win Court Battle Against the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan

A court ruling invalidated one of the most innovative comprehensive plans in recent memory, and now the city of Minneapolis must revert to its previous comprehensive plan.

September 6, 2023 - Star Tribune

St. Paul Minnesota

Missing Middle Housing Reforms Move Forward in St. Paul

The St. Paul City Council will soon consider a legislative package designed to increase the density of residential neighborhoods, following in the footsteps of its twin city, Minneapolis.

August 22, 2023 - Star Tribune

Orange big rig truck turning on a city street

St. Paul Proposal Would Prohibit Large Trucks From Parking on City Streets

Residents and businesses are calling for a ban on trucks, which are increasingly taking up curbside parking in the city after neighboring Minneapolis instituted a similar rule.

May 23, 2023 - Star Tribune

Zoning Code Rendering

Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan Still Searching for Zoning Alignment

The vision set forth in one of the most ambitious and groundbreaking comprehensive plans in recent memory has yet to align with the practical realities of zoning in Minneapolis.

April 9, 2023 - Star Tribune

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, Minnesota

Minneapolis Eliminates Parking Requirements Citywide

Minneapolis joins the avant garde of cities implementing a dramatic overhaul of the parking requirement status quo that has been a primary determinant of the form and function of cities for nearly a century.

May 19, 2021 - Star Tribune

Radar Speed Sign

Speed Limit Reform Spreading Across Minnesota

After the Twin Cities lowered speed limits in the urban core of the region in 2020, a trio of suburban cities are planning to follow. Two of the cities are planning to set some speed limits as low as 20 mph.

February 5, 2021 - Star Tribune

Ground Floor Retail

Developers Want to Skip Ground-Floor Retail Requirements

Minneapolis developers are agitating against the requirements of mixed-use zoning, saying that it's impossible to find a good tenant for ground floor retail these days.

August 12, 2020 - Star Tribune

Twins Logo Sign

Twin Cities to Lower Speed Limits

Minneapolis and St. Paul are teaming up, with new authority granted by the State legislature, to lower speed limits in both cities.

March 9, 2020 - Star Tribune

Minneapolis Alternative Transportation

A Test Ride for Mobility Hubs

Offering multiple, non-automobile options for transportation in one place is the idea behind mobility hubs. The city of Minneapolis is now testing the concept at four locations.

October 1, 2019 - Star Tribune

Minneapolis Bike Lanes

Lower Speed Limits Included in Early Vision Zero Recommendations for Minneapolis

A report on how to implement Vision Zero traffic safety improvements in the city of Minneapolis included an ambitious menu of options, including lower speed limits citywide.

September 18, 2019 - Star Tribune

Metro Transit Green Line

Twin Cities Light Rail Cuts Overnight Service, Displaces Hundreds of Homeless Riders

Homeless and working class riders won't have the shelter and mobility offered by Green Line trains in the Twin Cities, as Metro Transit cuts overnight service.

August 20, 2019 - Star Tribune

Drive-Thru

One Vote Left for Proposed Citywide Ban of New Drive-Throughs in Minneapolis

The city of Minneapolis could achieve another first of land use regulation next week if the City Council votes to prohibit the construction of all drive-through facilities in the entire city.

August 4, 2019 - Star Tribune

Dog Park

Two for One: A Dog Park and a Beer Bar

Stepping up the urban amenity game in Minneapolis.

August 3, 2019 - Star Tribune

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

HUD Secretary Carson Supports Minneapolis-Style Upzoning

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, in Minneapolis last week, expressed support for the planning reforms included in the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

June 25, 2019 - Star Tribune

Minneapolis Traffic

Slow Drivers Can Be Punished for Hanging Out in the Fast Lane in Minnesota

Minnesota is the latest state to enact fines for a law already on the books requiring slow drivers to merge right. As such laws gain popularity, it's time again to consider the sometimes counterintuitive facts of traffic safety.

June 6, 2019 - Star Tribune

Starbucks Drive-Thru

Citywide Ban on New Drive-Thrus Moves Forward in Minneapolis

The city of Minneapolis doesn't want any more drive-throughs in the city, in an effort to cut down on emissions, car trips, and conflict points in the public realm.

May 21, 2019 - Star Tribune

Metro Transit

Environmental Lawsuit Against Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan Tossed by Judge

The Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis, Minnesota Citizens for the Protection of Migratory Birds, and Smart Growth Minneapolis sued Minneapolis on environmental grounds after the city approved its landmark Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

May 5, 2019 - Star Tribune

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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.