Minnesota

Metro Transit Green Line

Three New Programs to Increase Transit Ridership in the Twin Cities

With peak hour commuter travel not expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, Metro Transit is getting creative in its efforts to attract new riders.

October 1, 2021 - MinnPost

An image of St. Paul, Minnesota and the Mississippi River at nightfall.

Opinion: St. Paul's Proposed Rent Control Law Would Halt New Development

Rent control is a popular response to the ongoing housing affordability crisis in many parts of the United States, but there is still a chorus of economists and planners who argue that rent control can do more harm than good to housing affordability.

September 24, 2021 - twin cities sidewalks

St. Paul Minnesota

St. Paul Voters Could Pass the Nation's Strictest Rent Stabilization Ordinance

The extremely strict proposal would eliminate sharp rent increases, but could stifle housing construction and worsen the city's housing crisis.

September 10, 2021 - Minneapolis Post

Saint Paul Minnesota

How to Abolish Parking Minimums: Lessons from the Twin Cities

Cities around the country are eliminating parking minimums in an effort to reduce the costs of housing construction and encourage car-free living.

September 7, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Statewide Zoning Reform Proposed in Minnesota

The proposed Comprehensive Housing Affordability Act would trade development fees for zoning relief.

August 24, 2021 - The Center Square

Saint Paul Minnesota

St. Paul Does Away With Minimum Parking Requirements

The city is one of the first in the nation to completely eliminate parking mandates citywide.

August 23, 2021 - St. Paul Pioneer Press

I-94 Freeway in Minneapolis

Why a 'Marginally Useful' Minneapolis Freeway Segment Should Be Removed

Two ramps that have minimal impact on traffic could make way for apartments, commercial spaces, or much-needed parks.

August 8, 2021 - Minneapolis St Paul Magazine

Place It Workshop

Community Land Trusts: Combining Scale and Community Control

Pitting the straw men of scale and community control against one another does the field more harm than good.

July 28, 2021 - Shelterforce

Southwest LRT

Minneapolis LRT Facing Delays, Cost Increases

Construction on the Kenilworth Tunnel has been plagued by problems and threatens the foundation of a nearby condo complex.

July 28, 2021 - Minneapolis Post

A busy street in Duluth, full of cars and buses.

Duluth Bus Transit Service Getting the High Frequency Treatment

Transit planners in Duluth, Minnesota have released the details of a new plan to concentrate bus transit service on high frequency corridors.

July 15, 2021 - Duluth News Tribune

Suburban Tract Homes

Report: 'Housing as a Commodity' Increases Residential Segregation

The growth of institutionalized housing has led to growing inequality between Black and white homeownership rates in the Twin Cities, new research shows.

July 12, 2021 - Minneapolis Post

Metro Transit Minneapolis

Minnesota Transit Buses Deliver COVID-19 Vaccines

The state's department of health is deploying the retrofitted buses to administer vaccines in hard-to-reach communities.

June 23, 2021 - Next City

Minnesota State Capitol

Rent Control Showdown in Minnesota

Republicans in the Minnesota State Legislature ditched an effort to block voters in the Twin Cities from implementing rent stabilization laws.

June 15, 2021 - Minnesota Reformer

Electric Cars

American Jobs to Build Electric Vehicles Excludes Miners

Mining jobs needed to produce the metals for processing into battery parts used to build electric vehicles in America will not be developed in the U.S. but in Australia, Brazil and Canada, mainly to avoid battles with environmentalists.

June 2, 2021 - Reuters

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

Downtown St. Paul

Parking Reforms Under Consideration in St. Paul

Two options for significant parking reforms are under consideration in St. Paul. The City Council could decide to eliminate parking requirements entirely as soon as this summer.

May 13, 2021 - Pioneer Press

Bus Stop

Cities Improving Community Engagement By Paying for It

Rochester, MN, joins the ranks of cities realizing that community input is worth paying for.

May 11, 2021 - Next City

Minneapolis Park

First Steps Toward Rent Control in Minneapolis

The state of Minnesota requires local rent control law to be approved by general election, so the city of Minneapolis is forced to take several preemptory steps to get a rent stabilization ordinance on the ballot.

May 4, 2021 - MinnPost

Parking Requirements

Parking Reform Moving Forward in Minneapolis

The vision proposed by the groundbreaking Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan is taking shape as zoning amendments move toward adoption.

April 25, 2021 - The Minnesota Daily

Pandemic Public Health

CDC to Gov. Whitmer: Time to Shut Down, Not Surge Vaccines

Michigan is on fire—a coronavirus variant is spreading rapidly among younger people, including children, yet high-risk activities, including youth sports and indoor dining, remain open. CDC Director Walensky addressed the conflagration Monday.

April 14, 2021 - The New York Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.