Minnesota

The Minneapolis City Council has proposed measures that would limit the size of new houses in the city -- a move targeting oversized 'McMansion' homes that already account for about 1% of the housing stock.

Drivers are increasingly looking to save not only time but also gas money by utilizing high occupancy toll lanes in cities that have implemented tolls.

Once a month, a Minnesota drug store transforms itself into a neighborhood town hall meeting place where Democratic candidates vying for nearly any Minnesota office come to discuss and debate issues with the people they look to represent.

The Minneapolis City Council has approved a measure to crack down on panhandling.

Transit officials in Minneapolis are happy about the rise in gas prices -- a trend that has caused an increase in ridership. The city's cyclists and environmentalists are also finding benefits.

Revenue from gas taxes has been down in recent years, leaving little money to handle road improvements and maintenance. The State of Minnesota has shifted the costs to property owners.

Increased crime in downtown Minneapolis around bus stops prompts the mayor, police and businesses to pressure the transit agency to move 7th Street's bus stops three blocks away from the downtown entertainment district.

Similar to a proposal being pushed by Arizona legislators, an economist in Minnesota has cautioned the state over providing too many subsidies and tax incentives to big retailers.

An Internet networking site intended to help people organize rideshares is being unveiled in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, and many local officials hope the ease of arranging rides via the Internet will encourage more shared rides.

Growing school districts in Minnesota look at ways of subdiving new large high schools to give students that "small school" feeling.

Some suburban school districts are dividing new high schools into smaller wings to create a tighter sense of community.

R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has pushed for budget funding to look into the possibility of building streetcar lines in the city's downtown. This article discusses the varied responses of the city's residents.

As Minneapolis rushes to complete design on a new ballpark for the Twins, access to an extension of the city's light rail line and new Northstar Commuter Rail could be jeopardized.

A newly formed non-profit group is focusing on developing a network of pedestrian-friendly routes in downtown.

While plans for three BRT lines are in the works, a shortage of transit funds is threatening to keep them from becoming reality -- at least any time soon.

A new urban design center in St. Paul, Minnesota, allows residents to try their hand at city planning in hopes of educating the public about managing growth and development.

By taxing land more than buildings, cities can encourage valuable sites to be used productively, rather than banked by investors hoping for even higher prices.

The University of Minnesota has announced plans to make use of 7,800 acres of open land by creating a utopian community laboratory, with housing for 20,000-30,000 people and an integration of agriculture, commercial space, public transit and open space.

A $1.5 billion dollar mixed use development proposed along the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been voted down by the city's planning commission after it refused to approve a zoning variance for 30 story condos.

With 2,053 downtown units under construction, the Minneapolis condominium market begins to deflate.