To get diverse developers involved, the Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development has released a request for proposals from diverse and women-owned developers.

To get minority developers involved in a development on Minneapolis' north side, the city's Planning and Economic Development Department sent out a request for proposals from minority or women-owned developers. Mobilize Design & Architecture, headed by Jamil Ford, won the contract to redevelop vacant buildings sitting on property forfeited to the city.
"Ford’s team named the project Baldwin Square, in honor of James Baldwin. The buildings sit at 42nd and Fremont Avenues, a former streetcar stop that’s now a bus stop. Soon, the corner will become a stop for a planned bus rapid transit line," Oscar Perry Abello reports for Next City. The group hopes the plan will be in line with the needs and desires of the community.
"After acquiring the tax-forfeited property, instead of going straight to developers with a request for proposals, the city went first to the community, attending meetings with residents to explain what zoning allowed on the lot and to gather ideas from residents about what they wanted in the space," Perry Abello writes. The city hopes that what goes into the property will focus on what the community asked for and wants.
FULL STORY: Minneapolis Wants More Diverse Developers Working With The City

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Research: Walkability Linked to Improved Public Health
A study reveals that the density of city blocks is a significant factor in communities’ walkability and, subsequently, improved public health outcomes for residents.

Report Outlines Strategies for Resilient Wildfire Recovery in LA
Project Recovery offers a roadmap for rebuilding more sustainable and climate-resilient communities after wildfires and other disasters.

New Executive Order Renews Attack on Public Lands
An order issued late last week pushes for increased mineral extraction on federally owned public lands.
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