Special Election Edition of Urban Currents Unique cities, unique issues, and unique times. With the election around the corner, we are tuning out candidates’ debates and position statements for a moment to talk about the characteristics we should look for in our next mayor. While Minneapolis and Saint Paul are uniquely different, both face big..

Otto Doll, Chief Information Officer, City of Minneapolis and Jon Commers, Lead, Visible City In recent years, cities and companies have been collecting troves of data on everything from consumer preferences to internal operations to traffic counts. Some cities have taken a progressive approach to this new era of Big Data by adopting open data policies..

** Please note location change ** Susan Brower, Minnesota State Demographer and Jack DeWaard, Assistant Professor -Department of Sociology, Minnesota Population Center – University of Minnesota Behind many demographic changes are migration patterns – the movement of people from one place to another.  Despite what we hear about being a transient population where people are more likely..

Chip Halbach, Executive Director of Minnesota Housing Partnership (MHP) Housing security and affordability are some of the region’s most pressing concerns. While some point to the visible and high profile construction of new luxury and market rate units as a contributor to the problem, the phenomena of “upscaling and rebranding” of large apartment complexes can be..

Historic preservation is changing – are we ready for it? Building materials, construction technology, and design philosophy changed dramatically in the post war period. As these buildings and construction methods merge into our historic lexicon, we are confronted with new challenges for adaptive reuse, retrofit, understanding historic significance, and heritage preservation. This “Top Ten” list..

** Please note location change ** Jeremy Kalin, Founder and CEO of Eutectics and David FitzSimmons, Chief of Staff for the Office of Congressman Tom Emmer  In our previous discussion, we learned about efforts to bridge the city mouse/country mouse divide. In this session, we will listen to stories from two former legislators who have lived that divide..

Dane Smith, President of Growth & Justice and Matt Schmit, Policy & Projects Director of Growth & Justice Why is it so darn hard to have a civil discussion with someone who is not of like minds?  When did different opinions become opposing opinions. And why are common interests between rural initiatives and urban initiatives so elusive..

Frank Douma, Director of State and Local Policy Program, Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Kory Anderson, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Urban and Regional Planning Program, Humphrey School of Public Affairs What was little more than a scene in a science fiction movie 10 years ago, the reality of self-driving cars is approaching quickly. We know very little..

Please join us in celebrating Urban Currents’ 18th Anniversary with a special panel discussion in collaboration with the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association. January 25, 2017    ·    5:30 – 7:30pm    ·    Cuningham Group’s Minneapolis Office As neighborhoods change, what happens to their identities? From Nordeast to Southeast, from Eat Street to Downtown East,..

You love your city. You enjoy open, engaging, and provocative conversations on a wide variety of topics. You would love a place that encourages thoughtful conversation among community members who work to improve the quality of life in the Twin Cities. Cuningham Group aims to uplift the human experience through storytelling, active listening, creativity, collaboration, innovation, and designing beautiful places. Part of..

Aaron Dysart, City Artist, Public Art Saint Paul and Amanda Lovelee, City Artist, Public Art Saint Paul Since 2005, Public Art Saint Paul has been supporting the City Artist Program with the City of Saint Paul.  By planting artists in an upstream role, the artist-in-residence has been opening our minds to the possibilities of what a..

 Max Musicant, Founder and “Chair-man”, The Musicant Group. How a process-driven approach to creating place is building community and boosting commercial activity in the Twin Cities and beyond. What do a bus stop, a block party, and an office building atrium have in common? How can we, as a society, simultaneously create economic prosperity and equitable communities?..