diversity : Featured Stories

According to a recent panel discussion, we need to own our cold climate and our ingenuity in order to attract new talent, continue fueling the innovation at the heart of our economy, and create a new and authentic national identity. Shall we call ourselves the North?  

From a fan's perspective, the Minnesota music scene feels like a uniquely supportive community. But he wanted to see if that's a viewpoint shared by artists who have come here from other environs. It is, despite the cold.

Creative collaborations on St. Paul’s East Side, throughout Little Africa in St. Paul and along West Broadway in North Minneapolis are helping small businesses thrive while sparking economic vitality and community pride.

With momentum on multiple fronts, a number of women-led initiatives are expanding the future of cycling to create a healthier, safer, more opportunity-rich Twin Cities for female cyclists.  

CommonBond, an innovative non-profit organization that operates 95 housing developments throughout the Upper Midwest, also offers residents classes and one-on-one counseling about school, employment, finances, and health and wellness.

We recently sat down with Shawn Combs Walding, MnDOT’s Transit Advantages Coordinator for the Twin Cities Metro District to discuss alternative transportation in the Twin Cities, what local entities can do to promote transit use, and how easy it really is to be car-free. 

Four neighborhood initiatives along the Green Line demonstrate how the Central Corridor is becoming a local and national model for equitable and empowering community-driven transit-oriented development (TOD).    

NEA, ArtPlace and others have poured millions of dollars toward creative placemaking projects in the Twin Cities in recent years. What are the street-level results of those investments?

Aiken is a painter, an illustrator, a graphic artist, a muralist, a lecturer, a curator, an arts advocate, and a community collaborator. This article is republished from Creative Exchange.

After decades of population loss, many cities are now growing faster than the rest of their metro areas. Urban living is now the new normal. What amenities are necessary to sustain a dense and vibrant city? The answers might surprise you.

More than providing a convenient, environmentally friendly transit option, the $957 million Green Line light-rail project down the Central Corridor is proving a catalyst for rejuvenating the once vibrant, 11-mile spine connecting the Twin Cities.

A sneak peek at the solar initiatives of a Twin Cities homeowner, nonprofit and entrepreneurial restaurant/farm featured during the EcoMetro Sustainable Living Tour on May 31 sponsored by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society.

Since 2010, JXTA has been providing paid opportunities for young people to gain skills in art and design. These youth make an hourly wage, between minimum wage and $10 per hour, while being trained in areas like graphic design and contemporary art.

The second in our series on Twin Cities artists who build community: Amanda Lovelee, a St. Paul City Artist in Residence, uses big tables, wildflowers, square dancing and love stories to convert people to the power of interpersonal connection through public art.

The Central Corridor is becoming the Twin Cities' new cultural hotspot showcasing local diversity, bringing communities closer together, and boosting economic opportunities.