Streets.mn Podcast

Minnesota's 2025 legislative session was chaotic from start to finish. Let's chat with our favorite advocacy organizations about what we accomplished this year, and what was left on the table. Links Refresh your memory of what we were trying to accomplish this year in our Legislative Agenda episode . Sierra Club BikeMN Neighbors for More Neighbors Our Streets Attributions Our theme song is Tanz de...

In today's book club episode, Parker Seaman and Jeremy Winter discuss When Driving Is Not An Option by Anna Zivarts, in a conversation moderated by Sherry Johnson. Links When Driving Is Not An Option, Island Press Anna Zivarts presentation in Rochester A 40-Year Fight to Get Speed Bumps Katie Cashman riding on Hennepin with Wedge LIVE! Next book: Bowling Alone Attributions Our theme song is Tanz d...

There's a new bike share in town! The Minneapolis Cargo Bike Library offers free one-week checkouts of various types of cargo bikes. One month after launching, we sat down with its founder to find out how it's going! Links Note: if you are listening within two weeks of our publish date, the Cargo Bike Library has a specific donation ask. Two of the library bikes were stolen from a locked garage, a...

Metro Transit has started rolling out their microtransit service areas, starting in Roseville and Woodbury. Jeb Rach has experience in both areas, let's check in on what the experience is like! Jeb selected a very appropriate background for our video call. Links Metro micro Transit to Trails podcast episode Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Bl...

Harry and Clementine Robinson were one of a handful of Black families who owned homes more than a century ago in what is now the whitest part of Minneapolis. When reporter Eric Roper moved into the same house where the Robinsons lived, he became determined to find out who they were and what happened to them. The Minnesota Star Tribune produced a six-part podcast series covering his findings. We ha...

Hydrogeologist Greg Brick discovered that the ground water under downtown Minneapolis is way warmer than it should be. Let's dig into how he found that, and why it's important. Links Greg Brick's website Atlas Obscura article with pictures of Greg exploring Schieks Cave Peer-reviewed book featuring a chapter by Greg Minnesota Spring Inventory (MN DNR) John Snow Attributions Our theme song is Tanz...

Anna Zivarts recently visited Minnesota and gave presentations related to her book  When Driving Is Not An Option . We have a recording of her Rochester talk, and an exclusive interview with her on the podcast! Links When Driving Is Not an Option, Island Press Week Without Driving Email Parker about the Streets.mn Podcast Book Club! Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our inte...

We made a lot of progress at the state level in the last two years, but this year has shaped up to be a weird legislative session, and we find ourselves playing defense. Let's find out what some of the most prominent urbanist organizations are focusing on in 2025! Links Getting involved with Neighbors for More Neighbors Getting involved with Sierra Club Getting involved with BikeMN Attributions Ou...

The Twin Cities is improving our transit access to ski hills! Let's compare it to another metro area with nearby ski opportunities: Denver! Links MVTA Route 412 (Buck Hill) Southwest Transit 686 bus Transit to Trails podcast episode Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out...

Despite Minnesota recently legalizing weed (famously accidentally at first), it has taken a long time for cannabis products to become available. Producers Stina Neel and Sherry Johnson dive into the long process of local counties and cities creating ordinances and policies in response to new state laws. Links Minnesota cannabis office ends license preapproval process | FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul L...

Move Minneapolis recently hosted a summit on the topic "Exploring How Businesses Can Survive and Thrive Through Construction." Our producer Parker Seamon scoped it out, and invited several attendees to come on the show to chat about the topic. Links Move Minneapolis YouTube page : recordings of previous summits and webinars. 2020 Summit "Commute Revolution: A Seismic Approach to Transforming Trans...

We welcome Rebecca Walker, who is a Ph. D. Candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Her research considers the intersection of housing, equity, and the environment in American cities. We're talking about her paper "Making the City of Lakes: whiteness, nature, and urban development in Minneapolis," published in the Annals of t...

Access to outdoor spaces is essential to everyone's well-being, so it comes as no surprise that Sierra Club is supporting legislation to improve transit access to parks and trails. Join us as we chat with Joshua Houdek, Senior Program Manager for Land Use and Transportation at Sierra Club North Star Chapter, about it. Links Transit to Trails main page Contact Congress to support the Transit to Tra...

Crookston is a 7000+ person community in the northwest corner of Minnesota that has big ambitions to improve the life of its residents by leveraging the clean energy transition. The City Climate Corner Podcast interviews City Council Member Tim Lenard, Exec. Director of Crookston Housing Development Karie Kirshbaum, Exec. Director of NW MN Regional Sustainable Development Program Shannon Stassen,...

Metro Transit has overhauled what their network will look like over the next couple of years, and they are looking for your input! Dive deep into the details with us, and provide official feedback by the end of the day today! Links Network Now project page Move Minnesota's response Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by p...

Mixed-use housing has a ton of benefits, so why don't we see it more often? We sit down with local developer Ari Parritz to talk about the challenges with bringing these projects to life. Links Afton Park Development Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his b...

Join us for a field trip to downtown Anoka, where the state legislature allowed a pilot program of a "social district," an area where customers can grab a drink from a bar, and walk around to other businesses and events within the district. Links Anoka social district Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of t...

Join Ian R Buck and Tim Marino for a discussion of the Purple Line: the history of the project, recent developments, and the Purple People Coalition fighting to make sure it will serve the most people it can the best it can. Links Purple People page on Move Minnesota Website Get Outta The Gully Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tra...

Last spring Streets.mn hosted a Contributors' Workshop in Rochester with several presentations to help people get started on their journey as contributors. We are excited to share those recordings with you on the podcast! tk embed Links Rethinking I-94 West Minnesota Is Not California City Walks: Navigating Pedestrian Infrastructure from New York City to Minneapolis Speak Up About the Capital City...

Minnesota DNR has acquired powered wheel chairs with tank treads to increase accessibility of hiking trails at several state parks. Join us on a field trip to check them out! Links All-Terrain Track Chairs Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band, The Ur...

Every seasoned cyclist has been asked for bike advice by friends and family, but what if you could make a business out of that? Mary Blitzer has founded Bike Anywhere, where she offers bike commute coach services. Let's find out what that looks like! Links Bike Anywhere U of M Parking & Transportation Services Move Minneapolis BikeMN Pedal Pals Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein,...

Elementary bike buses get a lot of attention on social media, but in the Hiawatha neighborhood they're doing something even cooler: a bike train that runs every day, rain or shine. Come hear from the neighbors who run it! Show notes Jenny Graff and Dave Cowan join us [Jay and Kristen Carlson] in the basement to talk about getting kids to school on the bike train. We also go out on the street to in...

BikeMN hosts several large group rides throughout the state, with a couple of new ones on the list in 2024! Not only are they fundraising opportunities for an awesome organization, they also serve to strengthen local chapters of this statewide coalition. Links Minnesota's Hidden Intercity Bus Network Revisited A Warm Welcome to Warmshowers Horizons by Loud Mouth Brass We Bike Rochester Lake Alice...

During street redesigns, business owners are often portrayed as preferring car parking over safe streets. But their takes are more nuanced, so let's chat with some! Attributions Our theme song is Tanz den Dobberstein, and our interstitial song is Puck's Blues. Both tracks used by permission of their creator, Erik Brandt. Find out more about his band, The Urban Hillbilly Quartet, on  their website...

This was our second year with a DFL trifecta, let's check in with a few transportation and land use advocacy organizations to find out what we accomplished and what is on the horizon for next year! Episode chapters 00:00 | Intro 00:53 | Sustain St Paul & Neighbors for More Neighbors 23:16 | Sierra Club Blog post 25:12 | Our Streets Blog post 29:55 | BikeMN 42:25 | Outro Attributions Our theme song...