Star Tribune

Minnesota

Minnesota Town Halts All Multi-Family Construction for One Year

Anoka, Minnesota decided it has enough rental housing.

October 24, 2017 - Star Tribune

Small Town Art

Rural Areas Embrace the Arts for Economic Development

A burgeoning revitalization model uses the arts as an opportunity to bring in outside money while hiring local.

September 12, 2017 - Star Tribune

Opponents Want Less Development at S. Paul's Mega-Redevelopment Plan for the Ford Site

A master plan for the redevelopment of Ford's former Twin Cities Assembly Plant, set on 122 acres along the Mississippi River in St. Paul, is challenged by controversy.

September 10, 2017 - Star Tribune

Minneapolis Traffic

Twin Cities Pay More, Get Less in State's Transportation Equation

An Star Tribune analysis finds residents in the Twin Cities region are generously supporting the transportation infrastructure spending of the rest of the state.

March 21, 2017 - Star Tribune

Twins Logo Sign

More Transportation Options Needed to Connect Workers and Jobs in the Twin Cities

A new study identifies the disconnect between employees and employers in the Twin Cities region. The report also predicts dramatic improvements if the region's long-term transportation plans are realized.

July 12, 2016 - Star Tribune

Hybrid Bus

Gold Line Busway Planning Moves Forward in Suburban Minnesota

The cities of Oakdale and Lake Elmo made their opposition to a proposed busway connecting to St. Paul known by withdrawing their support for the project. Now Gold Line transit planners are refocusing their efforts on station location decisions.

May 18, 2016 - Star Tribune

High School Football

Op-Ed: Stop Attacking My Suburb!

A proud suburban resident defends her neighborhood from the criticisms of city-dwellers. It's not walkable, it's not perfect, but it's home.

September 22, 2015 - Star Tribune

On the Value of Inconsistent Setbacks

A columnist in St. Paul makes an argument in favor of zoning variances as a driver of incremental growth and economic development.

January 28, 2015 - Star Tribune

Can Minneapolis Shed Its "Car Town" Image?

Minneapolis is mired in a debate over the role the automobile should play in the city's mobility mix. Many neighborhoods want to reduce surface parking and ease minimum parking requirements, but people still view the city as “a car town.”

January 21, 2014 - Star Tribune

Park Project to Continue Minneapolis' Riverfront Transformation

On a site overlooking the Mississippi River's St. Anthony Falls, where Minneapolis' first sushi bar stands, officials are planning the newest addition to the city's Central Riverfront system of parks.

January 17, 2014 - Star Tribune

Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge

Families Choosing Twin Cities Urbanity Over Suburban Living

Data suggesting a dramatic shift toward the urban core are accruing in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Suburbs have responded by creating walkable downtowns, but are struggling with declining school enrollment and other consequences.

January 8, 2014 - Star Tribune

Technology and Robust Economies Drive Rural Town Revival

Population loss has been a fact of life for many of the United States' rural towns for decades. But if the experiences of rural towns across Minnesota are any indication, manufacturing, farming, and technology may generate a widespread rural revival.

December 3, 2013 - Star Tribune

Deal Clears Way for Construction of Minneapolis' "Grand Central"

After a year of closed-door negotiations, the Twins and Hennepin County have reached agreement on a plan to transform the rail hub being built adjacent to the team's new ballpark into an engine for revitalizing the surrounding neighborhood.

September 13, 2013 - Star Tribune

Efforts to Boost Walkability Meet Hostility in Twin Cities’ Suburbs

A fragmented network of sidewalks is commonplace in the suburbs of Hennepin County, Minnesota. Mary Jane Smetanka reports on controversial efforts to fill in the gaps and retrofit these suburban neighborhoods as walkable places.

June 12, 2013 - Star Tribune

What Happens When You Build It, But They Never Come?

Forty-five miles southwest of the Twin Cities sits the exurb of New Prague, a town with state-of-the-art infrastructure but crushing debt. It’s an example of what happens when the “Ponzi scheme” underlying sprawl development comes crumbling down.

November 7, 2012 - Star Tribune

Can New Technologies Make Crosswalks Safer?

Kelly Smith looks at a host of technologies - from thermoplastics to video sensing systems - that local leaders in Minnesota are hoping can make crosswalks safer for pedestrians amid rising incidences of fatalities.

October 10, 2012 - Star Tribune

Twin Cities Undergoing Transit Revolution

A light rail line linking Minneapolis and St. Paul, a new intermodal transit hub, and the area's first bus rapid transit system are among the projects being funded by a quarter-cent sales tax for transit approved in 2008.

April 5, 2012 - Star Tribune

Friday Funny: Using Classical Music to Deter Transit Crime

Pat Doyle reports on a new effort to reduce nuisances at a Minneapolis area light-rail station by using offensive music -- classical music in this case -- as a deterrent.

February 17, 2012 - Star Tribune

Good and Bad News in 2012 Commercial Real Estate Outlook

2012 will be much like 2011. Experts see a long, grind-it-out recovery with only a few bright spots, but there are deals to be had.

January 15, 2012 - Star Tribune

With Land at a Premium, Fire Poles are Back

The single-story fire station meant the classic fire pole disappeared. But now that land prices are on the rise, the second story and the fire pole have returned.

October 10, 2011 - Star Tribune

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Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.