Affordable Housing

Call it a prairie-bred sense of community, Scandinavian-style egalitarianism, or simple fairness, but people in the Twin Cities tend to believe that income should not be destiny--that everybody deserves equal access to the good things in life, including comfortable and attractive housing, regardless of the number of zeroes on their paychecks. The realities of development can make this goal a complicated one to achieve, but the sheer number of organizations and individuals working toward it here make it a live issue whenever residential development happens here.

Affordable Housing Features

The Big Picture 6: Peter Musty on our neighborhoods and ourselves

Jon Spayde Wednesday, July 20, 2011

For urban designer Peter Musty, who's collaborating on plans for the Loring neighborhood in Minneapolis and the Ford site in St, Paul, walkable, transit-focused neighborhoods are non-negotiable. We need them for our health and prosperity--and to help our culture calm down.

VideoLine: Making the green economy inclusive

greenforall.org Wednesday, June 15, 2011

"Environmental justice is the new civil rights movement," says a young woman in this video, created by the organization Green for All. The video, posted last month, highlights a number of green jobs efforts in the Twin Cities that marry sustainability and social justice.

Despite tight money, local developers are rallying to house, and help, the homeless

Anna Pratt Wednesday, March 23, 2011

When the Great Recession swept in, it took a toll on development--including the building of new housing for the homeless. But now, along with other signs of life in the economy, local developers in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors are back on the job in a highly visible way, rehabbing major buildings and creating "support housing" within them--places to live that also offer services that help keep people off the streets.

Johnny Northside and friends: North Minneapolis' best-known blogger has spawned his own blogosphere

Anna Pratt Wednesday, February 02, 2011

John Hoff, aka Johnny Northside, blogs about North Minneapolis with passion and personality. He believes the neighborhood is headed "someplace amazing," and he's helping it get there with stories about its pleasures and problems. And he's inspired others to join the cyber-conversation, co-creating one of the most vibrant civic blogospheres in town.

All aboard: Years before it rolls, Central Corridor light rail is already connecting Twin Citians

Chris Steller Wednesday, July 21, 2010

It's four years before a single train is slated to set out on the tracks, but the Central Corridor light rail line between Minneapolis and Saint Paul has already created a powerful network of connections across the Twin Cities. In particular, ad-hoc collaboratives, instead of a single light-rail "czar" or bureaucracy, and Saint Paul's traditionally strong neighborhood political structure, have pushed planning for how the line will impact the city now and in years to come.

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