Our Streets

Street Smarts: Bike Lanes Are White Lanes
2024-09-26 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Chicago) | Dual Citizen Brewing Company, 725 Raymond Ave, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55114, United States
Transportation affects so many aspects of our lives. Join us as we delve deeper into the important transportation issues so that we can be better advocates for equitable transportation!

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About the Book

The number of bicyclists is increasing in the United States, especially among the working class and people of color. In contrast to the demographics of bicyclists in the United States, advocacy for bicycling has focused mainly on the interests of white upwardly mobile bicyclists, leading to neighborhood conflicts and accusations of racist planning.

In Bike Lanes Are White Lanes, scholar Melody L. Hoffmann argues that the bicycle has varied cultural meaning as a “rolling signifier.” That is, the bicycle’s meaning changes in different spaces, with different people, and in different cultures. The rolling signification of the bicycle contributes to building community, influences gentrifying urban planning, and upholds systemic race and class barriers.

In this study of three prominent U.S. cities—Milwaukee, Portland, and Minneapolis—Hoffmann examines how the burgeoning popularity of urban bicycling is trailed by systemic issues of racism, classism, and displacement. From a pro-cycling perspective, Bike Lanes Are White Lanes highlights many problematic aspects of urban bicycling culture and its advocacy as well as positive examples of people trying earnestly to bring their community together through bicycling.

Discussion Questions

This book is almost 10 years old. What changes have we seen in the local bike advocacy landscape since this book was written? What hasn’t changed?

How does this change how we advocate for bicycle infrastructure?

Our Streets used to be Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition. What surprises you about Hoffman’s references to our organizational roots?

Hoffman writes about the bicycle being a “rolling signifier” and how its symbolism changes based on cultural context. How has, if at all, the bicycle as a “rolling signifier” changed in the past decade?

E-bikes and micro-mobility have increased since this book was published. How has that affected, if at all, the perception of bicycling and bike infrastructure?

Where to Find the Book

The eBook is available through the Twin Cities Metro eLibrary and some locations of the Hennepin County Library. You can also purchase through Bookshop.org and select your favorite local bookstore. If you’re having trouble, we have a few copies we are happy to loan. Contact info@ourstreetsmn.org.

Minneapolis City Council Meeting: I-94 Resolution
2024-09-19 09:30 - 13:00 | Public Service Center, Room 350, 250 4th Street South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55415, United States
The Minneapolis City Council will vote on a resolution to study the removal of the 7.5-mile stretch of Interstate 94 between downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Read the Resolution

Please join any time during the meeting and show your support of Twin Cities Boulevard! An open press conference will be held immediately following, around noon. We’d love to have you there to show support. The press conference will be held in the lobby area on the second floor of the Public Service Center.

Minneapolis City Council Climate and Infrastructure Committee Meeting: I-94 Resolution
2024-09-12 13:30 - 15:00 | Public Service Center, Room 350, 250 4th Street South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55415, United States
The Minneapolis City Council Climate and Infrastructure Committee will vote on a resolution to study the removal of the 7.5-mile stretch of Interstate 94 between downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. If passed, it will go to a full council vote.

Read the Resolution

Watch Live

How to Support the Resolution

Email Minneapolis City Council Climate and Infrastructure Committee members and ask them to support the resolution.

Council Member Katie Cashman (Chair)

Council Member Emily Koski (Vice-Chair)

Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw

Council Member Jamal Osman

Council Member Jason Chavez

Council Member Aurin Chowdhury

Sample Script

Dear Council Member ______,

I am reaching out to ask for your support for the Rethinking I-94 City Council resolution that will soon be considered.

Building I-94 through our City neighborhoods was a generational mistake. Thousands of residents lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods. In the decades that followed, the highway has continued to divide neighborhoods and harm its neighbors with traffic noise and pollution.

I support this resolution because _________________

Now that the highway is breaking down, Rethinking I-94 is a generational opportunity to right this wrong. Our city can reimagine the highway corridor to reconnect neighborhoods, grow the tax base, and create new affordable housing, small businesses and parks. This resolution would ensure that the health and well-being of Minneapolis residents, not more lanes for suburban drivers, is prioritized as MnDOT approaches key project decisions this winter.

Please vote yes on this important action.

Imagine Cedarfest
2024-09-08 11:00 - 17:00 | Intersection of Cedar Ave & Riverside Ave, 400 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55454, United States
Imagine Cedarfest is a big, family-friendly block party for neighborhood connection and community organization. This event is a fantastic way to experience artists, musicians, and local businesses from the neighborhood and imagine a better future together.

When the Minnesota Highway Commission (now the Minnesota Department of Transportation or MnDOT) routed and constructed I-94 through the urban core of the Twin Cities in the ’60s, it destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and displaced thousands. Now, as MnDOT evaluates options for the highway’s future, we have the opportunity to influence one of the biggest policy decisions in decades.

Join us as we joyfully organize around the future of I-94.

About the Imagine Series

Volunteer at the Event

Volunteer and help make Imagine a success! By volunteering at Imagine Cedarfest, you help us create a welcoming and engaging environment for visitors, organizations and businesses across the Twin Cities. Volunteers get free food and a t-shirt!

Apply

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Imagine 6th Avenue North
2024-08-10 11:00 - 17:00 | Harrison Park, 503 N Irving Ave, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55405, United States
Imagine 6th Avenue North is a big, family-friendly block party for neighborhood connection and community organization. This free event is a fantastic way to experience artists, musicians, and local businesses from the neighborhood and imagine a better future together.

Free Food, Live Music, Art, & More

When the Minnesota Highway Commission (now the Minnesota Department of Transportation or MnDOT) routed and constructed Olson Memorial Highway over historic 6th Avenue North in the late 1930s and 1940s, it destroyed a vibrant Black and Jewish community corridor, often called the “Beale Street of Minneapolis.” Homes, businesses, jazz clubs, synagogues, churches, and community centers were demolished to make way for the highway.

Now, Our Streets has partnered with Harrison Neighborhood Association, Heritage Park Neighborhood Association, and other Northside partners to advocate for a restored 6th Avenue North.

At the Imagine 6th Avenue North event, community members will have the opportunity to learn more about the possibility of a highway-to-boulevard conversion, share their ideas for the future, and imagine what their neighborhood could be like without the highway.

The event includes musical performances from Northside artists including Traiveon, Casual Confusion, and Se’anna. Community members will have the opportunity to contribute to a community quilt with Million Artist Movement and leave a message on the “Imagine Dream Phone” and share their ideas for the future. Attendees will be offered free food and can shop at the pop-up market with The Dream Shop featuring more than 20 Northside artists and makers. Kids will be able to get their faces painted and play in a bouncy house.

Event Highlight: Million Artist Movement Community Quilt-Making

Join Million Artist Movement in utilizing the power of art to collaborate as a community! Together, we will create a quilt that imagines a better future in Near North Minneapolis—a future that prioritizes the safety and well-being of those who live here. Make a quilt square that embodies what you want to see in your neighborhood.

Join us as we joyfully organize around the future of 6th Avenue North.

Need a ride? Get your free MetroTransit bus pass.

Volunteer

About the Imagine Series

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Imagine Frogtown & Rondo
2024-07-14 11:00 - 17:00 | Central Village Park, 457 Central Ave W, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55103, United States
Imagine Frogtown Rondo is a big, family-friendly block party for neighborhood connection and community organization. This free event is a fantastic way to experience artists, musicians, and local businesses from the neighborhood and imagine a better future together.

When the Minnesota Highway Commission (now the Minnesota Department of Transportation or MnDOT) routed and constructed I-94 through the urban core of the Twin Cities in the ’60s, it destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and displaced thousands. Now, as MnDOT evaluates options for the highway’s future, we have the opportunity to influence one of the biggest policy decisions in decades.

Join us as we joyfully organize around the future of I-94.

Volunteer

About the Imagine Series

Visual Artists

Design Your Frogtown & Rondo Hero with Broderick Poole: Visual and textile artist Broderick Poole will invite community members to design their own hero using textiles and other materials to transform a 2-D paper person into a neighborhood hero that represents the past, present, or future of Frogtown & Rondo.

Reforesting Rondo with Michele Spaise: Photo, video, and puppeteer artist Michele Spaise will invite neighbors to participate in an open mic and open projector collaborative experience where people will connect, heal, and make art through storytelling and shadow puppetry.

Community Screen Printing with Courtney Cochran: Anishinaabe artist, filmmaker, and community organizer Courtney Cochran will invite community members to contribute to a screen print design. Then, community members can make their own print of the design created that day or of a design created by Ain Dah Yung youth.

Entertainment

Mt. Olivet Baptist Church Choir

ComMUSICcation Youth Choir

Heart and Soul Drum Academy

Atim Opoka, vocal artist

Boi Apollo, drag performer

Food

Good Vibes African Cuisine

The Wright Creation

Fusionrolls

Taste the Real Nawlins Flavor

Delly J’s Jamaican Catering Services

Life Juices

Jamison Hibachi Kitchen

Business & Community Organizing
Evie Carshare, Small Sums, Mind the Crown, Tiny Workshop Productions, Spoon and Theory, African American Survivor Services, Boss Queen, KMK Publishing, Legal Rights Center, Justice Bell Bey Books, Black Garnet Books, Unity in Community, Neighborhood Network for Seniors, SoLux, Sneaky Link Permanent Jewelry, Lucius Shake Down Rubs, Glitter Shine & Everything Fine

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Climate-Friendly Building Tour
2024-06-25 18:00 - 19:30 | Firefly Apartments, 2716 Grand Ave S, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55408, United States
Climate-friendly building tour and open house at Firefly Apartments: a new, all-electric, energy efficient building that promotes healthy air and sustainable transportation.

Join owner/developer Jay Rajaratnam and architect Adam Bradley Jonas to see how they replaced a poorly constructed single family home (SFH) with a 12-unit apartment showcasing green building techniques and sustainable-living.

Features: bike amenities, walk/bike/transit/carshare-friendly location, low utility costs, rooftop solar, all-electric efficiency from Energy Star appliances, induction stoves that are safer, easier, and healthier than gas, efficient heat pump technology, and Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) that provides fresh air and recaptures up to 80% of energy.

Read about the building’s origin story in the Sahan Journal

Please walk/bike/bus/carshare/carpool if you can! There is no off-street parking available at this urban infill development (and that’s intentional!)

Light refreshments provided. Please RSVP to help us plan for you.

This event is organized by Sierra Club, in partnership with Our Streets, Neighbors for More Neighbors, Bike MN, and APA-MN.

Juneteenth: West Broadway Block Party
2024-06-16 10:00 - 18:00 | West Broadway Avenue, 1101 W Broadway, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411, United States
Celebrate Black cultural heritage with Black Owned Business (BOB) Rewards Club at the Juneteenth Minnesota West Broadway Block Party.

Our Streets is proud to sponsor this year’s event. The Bring Back 6th Mobile Museum will be presented by Our Streets at the event. Visit us on West Broadway to learn about old 6th Avenue North: a historic Black and Jewish community street that was destroyed to make way for Olson Memorial Highway. We’ll also have information about the future of Olson Memorial and our campaign to Bring Back 6th Avenue North by converting the highway back into a community-centered boulevard.

Schedule

10:00 a.m. – Short parade and ceremonial kick-off

11:30 a.m. – Socio-economic justice rally

12:00 a.m. – Main event & festival

Event Highlights

Two stages with live entertainment and speakers

Slave history exhibition and education

Dozens of Black Owned Businesses (BOB) and young entrepreneurs

Fresh good food from local businesses

Free mini-carnival, youth entrepreneurial experience, and DIY activities

Kids 16 and younger eat FREE

Healing center for the mind and body

Local star-studded entertainment

U of M Juneteenth Celebration
2024-06-15 11:00 - 17:00 | Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC), 2001 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55411, United States
Juneteenth is a celebration of abolition, Black freedom, Black joy, Black history, and Black futures. This year’s event will be centered around disruption, reverberation, and amplification with our 2024 theme: We are the Noise- The Echoes of our Ancestors! This interactive block party includes a commemorative march, live performances, free food, Black vendors, giveaways, art-making, workshops, roller skating, and an interactive kids zone.

The Bring Back 6th Mobile Museum will be presented by Our Streets at the event. Visit us at the event to learn about old 6th Avenue North: a historic Black and Jewish community street that was destroyed to make way for Olson Memorial Highway. We’ll also have information about the future of Olson Memorial and our campaign to Bring Back 6th Avenue North by converting the highway back into a community-centered boulevard.

The University of Minnesota will host its third annual Juneteenth Celebration block party and commemorative march in North Minneapolis on Saturday, June 15, 2024, from 11 am to 5 pm. This free event – centering on the theme of We Are the Noise: The Echoes of Our Ancestors – will feature Black vendors, speakers, workshops, poster showcases, storytellers, musicians, performers, DJs, roller skating, books, free food, free haircuts, art-making, a bouncy house, a petting zoo, and more. The event will be held at the University’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC). This event, led by Professor Terresa Moses, is presented by the Office for Equity and Diversity and the College of Design.

Twin Cities Boulevard Rally
2024-06-13 16:30 - 18:30 | MnDOT Main Office, 395 John Ireland Boulevard, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55155, United States
Our Streets will present the findings of the Reimagining I-94 report, which evaluated possibilities for restoring part of the interstate into a community boulevard with new affordable housing, local businesses and parks.

MnDOT’s project evalution process is broken, and many of the Political Advisory Committee members have outlined demands in response to the Reimagining I-94 report.

MnDOT responded to the demands saying they will not commit to any of them. We are hosting a rally at the MnDOT Commissioner’s office to ask that they listen to community and elected representatives.

Your voice and support is needed. Join us!

Lyndale Avenue South Reconstruction Open House
2024-06-11 16:00 - 18:00 | SpringHouse Ministry Center, 610 West 28th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55408, United States
Hennepin County is reconstructing Lyndale Avenue South (County Road 22) between Franklin Avenue (County Road 5) and 31st Street.

Attend the Open House to advocate for Concept B with Bikeway to ensure the new Lyndale Avenue is safe and promotes all modes of transit, not just cars.

Greenway Gala
2024-06-08 00:00 - 23:59 | Cepro Site Park, 2828 11th Ave S, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55407, United States
It’s a party on the Midtown Greenway! Celebrate with neighbors from across Phillips and South Minneapolis with music, food, local vendors, activities, and more at the first-ever Greenway Gala.

Our Streets will be there with the Concrete River Mobile History Exhibit, our giant chess set, cornhole, and double dutch!

Greenway Gala is organized by Midtown Phillips Neighborhood Organization, Phillips West Neighborhood Organization, and East Phillips Improvement Coalition.

More details to come!

I-94 Community Forum
2024-06-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Mixed Blood Theater, 1501 S 4th St, Minnesota, 55454, United States
Our Streets is hosting a public forum to invite community members and elected officials to learn about what’s happening with the highway project and share their experiences and desires for the future with I-94 decision-makers. This event is for anyone interested in Twin Cities Boulevard and the Rethinking I-94 project, especially for those who live along the highway.

Our Streets will present the findings of the Reimagining I-94 report, which evaluated possibilities for restoring part of the interstate into a community boulevard with new affordable housing, local businesses and parks.

Before the Forum

Leading up to the forum, we are doorknocking the affected neighborhoods to talk with residents about:

The findings of the Reimagining I-94 report

Why MnDOT’s process is failing to consider the neighboring communities

How neighbors can contact MnDOT and their elected officials to ask them to commit to the outlined changes

During the Forum

During the forum we will highlight these gaps in MnDOT’s process and the demands outlined in the PAC member letter, a letter signed by some of the Political Advisory Committee (PAC) for the project.

After the Forum

If they have not already committed, we have asked MnDOT to speak to attendees and publicly commit to the requested actions. If MnDOT does not commit, we will be hosting a rally at the MnDOT Commissioner’s office the following week.

Your voice is needed. Share your thoughts, concerns, questions, and ideas for the future of the neighborhood.

Imagine Eat Street - Zoom Info Session
2024-05-13 15:00 - 16:00
Join Our Streets and Whittier Alliance to learn more about how you can be a part of the new Imagine Eat Street block party event that will be taking place this summer! Eat Street and Whittier business owners and residents are invited to attend to learn more and get involved.

Register on Zoom

Our planned date for the event is Sunday, September 29, 2024. We plan to close 2-4 blocks of Nicollet Avenue to car traffic and open the street for people to bike, walk, roll, and experience Eat Street. At the info session, we will discuss specifics and options for street closure and get your input.

We will have live entertainment, food, and local vendors featured at the event.

Imagine Eat Street will be…

An opportunity to meet your neighbors and be in community

A block party celebrating the uniqueness of the Eat Street corridor and the Whittier neighborhood

A space to imagine a better future together

A pathway to community self-determination

West Bank: Now and Then
2024-05-06 18:00 - 21:00 | Merriam Park Library, 1831 Marshall Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55104, United States
Be a part of the neighborhood conversation! Join West Bank Business Association, Our Streets, and St. Catherine University for an event to talk about the past, present, and future of the West Bank.
At the event, you can:

Enjoy free light refreshments

Learn more about MnDOT’s Rethinking I-94 alternatives for the neighborhood and beyond

See photographs by West Bank residents

Digitize your neighborhood history (bring your old photographs – we’ll have a scanner on hand!)

Check out the results from St. Kate’s PhotoVoice study that collaborated with West Bank business owners to talk about their experience of the West Bank

About Photovoice

In Fall 2023, MnDOT announced its intention to engage business owners along I-94 about how the highway impacts them and their goals for the future. Our Streets and St. Kate’s Master of Public Health program partnered to ensure experiences of business owners and Community members of Cedar Riverside are included.

In February 2024, Our Streets and St. Kate’s collaboratively hosted a PhotoVoice community conversation with interested business owners and community organizers about their stories, experiences, and the highway’s impacts on their businesses and communities. The participants took photos of their community that will be displayed at the West Bank: Now and Then event.

The St. Kate’s team will share their research findings and are excited to engage with the Cedar-Riverside community and continue to expand the dialogue of restorative justice. To learn more about the PhotoVoice project and St. Kate’s research, contact Dr. Susi Keefe at slkeefe162@stkate.edu.

A New Neighborhood Vision for I-94
2024-05-04 10:30 - 12:00
What would happen if I-94 was replaced by a boulevard? Discuss key findings from a new report at this free community presentation by Union Park District Council Transportation Committee. Seating is limited, please reserve your spot on the Eventbrite page.

Reserve your free spot

A 7.5 mile section of I-94 between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis has reached the end of its structural life. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is conducting a multiyear effort to decide what comes next. Among 10 current alternatives are proposals for an at-grade boulevard.

Cities around the world are successfully replacing highways with boulevards. This presentation will take a deeper look at a local highway-to-boulevard conversion, focusing on the findings in a new report that features surprising information on who uses the highway today, shows what a boulevard might look like in specific neighborhoods, reveals where current highway traffic would go, and calculates how much land a boulevard would unearth for new jobs, housing, economic development and green space in our neighborhoods.
