Minnesota

More cities are calling for an end to dead ends, to the dismay of residents and developers.

A suburban town just west of Minneapolis is debating a plan to bring a bit of New Urbanism into a proposed housing development that would otherwise just be houses. The planned mixed use development has enticed some residents and worried others.

Cul-de-sacs remain popular with homebuyers (and therefore developers), but some American cities are taking steps to limit or even prohibit their use.

Inmates of Minnesota's county jails have built 250 homes for rural families making up to 80 percent of the state median income.

Neighbors of a successful "downtown" project in a Minneapolis suburb voice concerns that its success may mean more density and parking nightmares for their community.

Light rail comes out the winner in another showdown against train vs. bus in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Twin Cities residents are realizing that the seemingly affordable homes bought far from the region's core are not quite as affordable when transportation costs -- which have escalated as a result of high gas prices -- are taken into account.

A St. Paul small business owner credits the local development tool with revitalizing his neighborhood, and pleads to others to resist anti-eminent domain campaigns.

To "end our addiction to oil", ethanol, a bio-fuel, seems a likely transportation fuel to boost. However, from an air quality and global warming perspective, if the ethanol is going to be produced from coal-fired plants, is it worth it?

Housing booms along the corridor of a two-year-old light rail line, decades faster than expected.

Now in his second term, Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis has made housing, transit, and livability a priority both in Minneapolis and throughout the Twin Cities region.

He refuses to raise taxes to pay for billions in road improvements, yet voters may overrule him in November.

The ethnic group known for fighting for the U.S. in Vietnam faces adversity after their last refugee camp closes in Thailand.

How and why Minneapolis built the nation's largest skyway system.

Winona, MN, plans for the future by banking on smarter development.

The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council of local governments publishes a web-based "Local Planning Handbook" to guide planners in the seven-county metropolitan area through the preparation and updating of their city and county comprehensive plans.

Twin Cities soar with transit, Detroit sinks without.

Many homeowners in the midwest are "supersizing" their garages.

How does the cost of new rail systems compare to leasing riders luxury SUVs instead?

Transportation issues remains a top issue with Minnesotan citizens -- so why isn't the current legislation doing anything about it?