The CURA CORNER:
Community Organization Resource for News, Events and Research

Volume 2, No. 1 (Spring 2008)

The CURA CORNER is an occasional online newsletter intended to inform CURA’s community partners about the activities of our Community-Based Research Programs, which include the Community Assistantship Program (CAP), Communiversity, Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR), and the Northside Seed Grant program. These programs provide graduate or undergraduate student assistance for community-based applied research projects, program planning and development, program evaluation, and other short-term projects.

In This Issue

1. Reader Survey: Help Us Improve the CURA CORNER!
2. UNN Courses Online
3. Summer 2008 Project Awards
4. Fall 2007 Project Highlights
5. Krussell Fellowship
6. Neighborhood Partnership Initiative Recipients
7. Mobile Broadcast Units
8. Calendars of Events

View previous issues of the CURA CORNER

Reader Survey: Help Us Improve the CURA CORNER!

Please take a minute to help us improve this publication by taking our short online survey and telling us what you like about the newsletter, what you don’t like, and what would make it more useful to readers like you.

Thanks, and we hope you find this issue both useful and informative!

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UNN Courses Online

UNN provides course-based project support for neighborhood and community organizations in the Twin Cities. UNN is a resource for community groups and students to address important neighborhood and community issues. Right now we have courses posted with willing and capable students to do projects involving:

• American Cities as Settings for Cultural Diversity

• Environmental Justice and Social Change

• Organizational Practice II

• Community Development for Social Change

Visit the UNN website to view courses and submit project proposals. Go to “Search Courses,” then “Show Current Courses” and then “Details” for each course. To submit a proposal to a course, select “Enter a project for this course.”

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Summer 2008 Project Awards

The following organizations received a community-based research project award for summer 2007 semester:

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Fall 2007 Project Highlights

The following are descriptions of selected Community-Based Research Program projects that CURA funded during Fall 2007. (Where available, links are provided to online reports from the projects.) You can search for other projects online using the CURA Project Database and search for other publications and reports using the CURA Publications Catalog.

Arden Manor Transit Impact Project
All Parks Alliance for Change (APAC) works to improve the quality of life in manufactured (mobile) home parks through grassroots organizing, and to protect the rights of residents, with a philosophy of helping people to help themselves. Residents of Arden Hills had serious concerns about the future of their manufactured home park and possible displacement, due to a looming proposal to expand two major highways bordering their community. APAC needed student research assistance to assess the impact of the proposed plan on Arden Manor Park. Margaret Dalzell, an undergraduate student in the College of Liberal Arts, assessed the impacts of the proposed road expansion on park residents, developed a report, informed the residents about what was learned, and made suggestions on how residents could use this information. The research will be used to educate Arden Hills policy makers on the importance of preserving Arden Manor. If successful, this will prevent a manufactured home park from closing.
CURA Program: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR)

Invigorate the Common Well
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre is a professional puppet and mask theater that is acclaimed for its artistic excellence, its commitment to building community, and its dedication to social justice. The theater requested a student to research and compile water resource information to prepare for the theater's second episodic production of Invigorate the Common Well in 2008. Blake Love, an undergraduate student in the College of Liberal Arts, researched and compiled information on water resource management and stewardship resources in Minnesota, created an informational packet, and developed materials for use on the theater’s website. The research will inform the content of the second episode of Invigorate the Common Well and create new links among the diverse public and private agencies that work in water management and stewardship.
CURA Program: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR)

Affordable Housing Location Analysis for Minneapolis
Established in 1982, the Minneapolis Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) is an association of 30 nonprofit community development organizations engaged in affordable housing and small business development with a focus on inner-city, low-income neighborhoods. MCCD needed assistance to perform an affordable housing location analysis. Rachel Robinson, a graduate student in urban and regional planning at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, reviewed previous studies and identified key indicators on the siting of affordable housing, used GIS to identify potential sites for affordable housing development in non-impacted areas, and provided a final report containing detailed explanation of methodology and findings. The research will provide a clearer picture of the potential for affordable housing development in non-impacted areas. This research will be shared with community developers and could potentially be used to identify future development sites or used in policy and education efforts with the city council.
CURA Program: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR)

University Avenue Green Spurs
University UNITED is a coalition of 12 community organizations and several businesspeople that represent the business and neighborhood stakeholders in UNITED's geographic area of focus. The University Avenue corridor is home to several old rail lines and spurs that are rarely used. This study examined the University Avenue corridor for opportunities to reconnect neighborhoods through green infrastructure, trails, and new activity centers. Adam Maleitzke, a graduate student in urban and regional planning at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, conducted research on case studies of converting rail spurs into green corridors and activity centers, assembled a GIS database of rail spurs that documents their status and ownership, and presented findings to the University UNITED board. The results will be used to forward the vision for an expanded trail system along the University Avenue corridor.
CURA Program: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR)

Eleanor Graham Community Garden
The District 13 Gardens Committee is a subcommittee of the District 13 Council, one of 17 district councils serving the citizens of St. Paul. The primary focus of the Gardens Committee is the Eleanor Graham Community Garden, established in 1982 and bounded by Hamline Avenue to the west, Ayd Mill Road to the north and east, and Ashland Avenue (access road to Ayd Mill) to the south. The council sought assistance to create a master redesign plan for the Eleanor Graham Community Garden and its adjacent green space. Kate Skelton, a graduate student in landscape architecture in the College of Design, used community input to generate rough conceptual plans for the park, solicited feedback to create a more detailed final design, and developed renderings showing the final conceptual design. These graphic illustrations will serve as a focal point for the development of the garden and allow the Gardens committee to better demonstrate their intentions to the rest of the district councils and to the neighborhood. They will also help with fundraising, and with convincing stakeholders and landowners to endorse the project.
CURA Program: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR)

Community-Oriented Research on the Central Corridor LRT
The District Councils Collaborative of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (DCC) is an entity created by Saint Paul District Councils and Minneapolis Neighborhood Organizations interested in having a strong community voice in the planning and implementation of the Central Corridor LRT Project. Two graduate students in urban and regional planning at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs were hired to assist DCC in researching important issues related to the Central Corridor LRT. Joshua Tolkan researched and developed tools that the DCC and neighborhoods could use to evaluate neighborhood transit/walkability conditions. Will Delaney researched issues related to LRT station design and station area planning. The results will be used to inform DCC decision making, advocate for DCC positions on key LRT issues and decisions, build capacity within the neighborhoods to more fully participate in the Met Council Citizen Involvement program, and inform Met Council project staff and county/city elected officials.
CURA Program: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR)

Laying the Groundwork: Telling Our Story—Minnesota’s Community Land Trusts
The Minnesota Community Land Trust Coalition (MCLTC) is a working association of the 10 community land trusts located throughout the state of Minnesota. These nonprofit organizations have come together to ensure the continued success of the CLT method of providing perpetually affordable access to land for housing and other community initiatives that serve low- and moderate-income people within their respective communities. To continue providing and expanding homeownership opportunities through the CLT model, the CLTs must demonstrate the method’s effectiveness in serving the targeted population as well as leveraging affordability investments. To develop this information, MCLTC launched a data collection initiative in 2006. Teresa Howard, a graduate student in the School of Social Work, identified refinements to the existing data collection methodology and tools; assisted with collection of data from member CLTs; compiled local, state, and national data resources for comparative analysis; and drafted a final report. MCLTC is using the results of this project to provide more effective information to stakeholders, to serve as a planning tool to assess and modify practices, and to tell the land trust story to the general public.
CURA Program: Community Assistantship Program (CAP)

Community-Friendly Design for State Highway 8 through Lindstrom
The City of Lindstrom was incorporated in 1894, has a population of about 3,900, and is growing rapidly. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is working with the City of Lindstrom on a major reconstruction project on Highway 8. It serves as Lindstrom’s “main street” traveling directly through the heart of downtown. The City and its citizens are concerned about the impact of the road project on the local traffic circulation, bicycle and pedestrian circulation and safety, and the character of the city. The drastic roadway changes, which will require the removal of some existing businesses, could have detrimental effects on the city’s economic vitality, safety, and livability if they are not designed with the community in mind. A student research assistant was needed to develop conceptual design proposals for the highway. Lian Ying Wang, a graduate student in the College of Design, attended site visits and project meetings in Lindstrom, found examples of good design elements, and developed design ideas for Lindstrom. The City of Lindstrom is using the research and design ideas in negotiations with MnDOT staff. The drawings and photos also are being used in presentations to community groups and at community meetings to help community members visualize the proposed changes.
CURA Program: Community Assistantship Program (CAP)

Locally Grown Food in Morris and the Surrounding Communities
There is a growing demand for locally grown food in Morris and the surrounding communities. The Pomme de Terre Food Co-op has been striving to meet this demand by having as many locally grown foods as possible available for sale. The food co-op is currently struggling to diversify and expand their local foods selection, especially grains and dried beans. There are also difficulties networking with farmers in the area and creating an efficient transportation system for delivery of locally grown foods. Alison Hartke, an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota Morris campus, compiled a list of locally grown products and researched local farms and transportation possibilities. Pomme de Terre is using this information to increase the number of locally grown products at the co-op.  
CURA Program: Community Assistantship Program (CAP)

Institute for Refugee and Immigrant Health and Wellness
West Side Community Health Services (WSCHS) began in 1969 when a group of community members offered free preventive healthcare in a church basement for Spanish-speaking residents on St. Paul’s West Side. Today, as a federally qualified community health center, they provide comprehensive healthcare and social services for more than 35,000 patients each year in 18 locations throughout St. Paul. WSCHS is establishing an Institute for Immigrant and Refugee Health and Wellness (the Institute). The Institute will focus on improving the health status of immigrants and refugees living in Minnesota—especially related to cardiovascular health, mental health, and healthy youth development—by combining community-based research with community-based and clinic-based programs. Karen Moe, a Master of Public Policy graduate student, conducted research on other community-based participatory research-focused organizations across the country and reported the findings. The results are being used to model the new Institute, as an effort to better serve the diverse community—not only by addressing and improving healthcare services, but also by better identifying the breadth of community needs not currently being met.
CURA Program: Communiversity

The Vento Project: A Community-Based Approach to Reducing Racial Disparity in the Child Protection System
The Ramsey County Community Human Services Department (RCCHSD) provides an array of services to adults, seniors, families, and children living in Ramsey County. The Family and Children’s Service Division of RCCSHD is responsible for providing children’s mental heath, maltreatment intake, child protection program, delinquency, adoption/guardianship, and childcare licensing services. To reduce the number of families unnecessarily being reported to the county child protection services, Ramsey County Community Human Services in partnership with the St. Paul Public Schools located a county child welfare worker at the Eastside Family Center facilities at the Bruce Vento Elementary School. The objective of this research effort was to tell the story of the project. John Champe, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology, documented changes in the program, decisions that were made, and the reasoning used to support those decisions. The product of the research effort is being used as a resource for developing community-based services in other locations within Ramsey County.
CURA Program: Communiversity

Engaging Students of Color through Storytelling: Pedagogy as Conscious Literate, Cultural and Racial Identity Formation
At the request of the Black Storytellers Alliance, this project addressed the problem of low student reading and writing skills among students of color in Minnesota by demonstrating that storytelling—through its holistic performance of oral narrative—provides crucial literate, cultural, and racial identities that may be lacking for students of color. The results of the project will be used to advocate for the use of storytelling in schools and to promote the possibility of future collaborative partnerships between the College of Education and Human Development and the Northside neighborhood, which has urgent educational challenges. Jessie Docktor, a graduate student in the College of Education and Human Development, performed the research. Results of the research project will be disseminated through the National Association of Black Storytellers and through national conferences such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The faculty member is Tim Lensmire from Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education and Human Development.
CURA Program: Northside Seed Grant

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Charles Krussell Fellowship

CURA, the Humphrey Institute, and friends and family of Charles Krusell have established an endowment for the Krusell Fellowship in Community Development. The Krusell Fellowship honors Mr. Krusell’s lasting contributions to the Twin Cities community by providing scholarships and internships at community development agencies for University of Minnesota graduate students enrolled in urban and regional planning and public policy programs at the Humphrey Institute.

As Richard Brustad, President of Brighton Development Corporation, notes, “Chuck is exactly the right person to honor by establishing an inspirational fellowship for today’s students. . . He led efforts by the Minneapolis business community to help inner-city residents and the poor. Those students who will follow in Chuck’s footsteps are lucky to be part of his legacy.”

The 2007 Krusell Fellows, Nina Brown and Carlos Espinosa, graduated with planning degrees this past spring. In addition to earning their degrees, they worked at Greater Minneapolis Housing Corporation, Model Cities CDC, Daytons Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services, and the City of New Hope. Samantha Evans, who has completed her first year of the degree program, worked at CommonBond. Students participated this spring in a seminar with St. Paul City Council member Melvin Carter who offered great insight about commitment to community work. (Acooa Lee, a past Krusell Fellow, serves as Councilmember Carte’s legislative aide.)

Fund raising continues in an effort to fully fund the fellowship endowment, and has been helped by significant grants from the McKnight Foundation, the Family Housing Fund, the Minneapolis Foundation, and contributions from Chuck Krusell’s family, friends, and colleagues.

For more information about the Krusell Fellowship, visit www.hhh.umn.edu/admissions/pdf/krussel.pdf

To learn more about contributing to the Krusell Fellowship, contact Kris Nelson at 612-625-1020 or ksn@umn.edu.

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Neighborhood Partnership Initiative Recipients

The Neighborhood Partnership Initiative (NPI) program is designed to support innovative and effective partnerships that involve new constituencies, solve problems, and improve the community for everybody. Grants up to $10,000 are awarded to successful applicants. Partnerships applying to NPI must include at least one government-recognized neighborhood organization or citizen participation organization (Minneapolis Neighborhood Group or St. Paul District Council), and at least one youth, immigrant, or arts organization with nonprofit status. The neighborhood organization should be the lead partner.

Organizations selected for funding in 2008 are:

• West Side Citizen’s Organization/Hope Community
• Bancroft Neighborhood Association/Urban Arts Academy
• Dayton’s Bluff District 4 Community Council/Hmong American Partnership
• Thomas/Dale District 7 Planning Council/Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT)
• Hamline Midway Coalition (District 11)/International Academy-LEAP
• Hawthorne Area Community Council/Juxtaposition Arts
• Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association/Emme B. Howe YMCA/ArtShare
• Lyndale Neighborhood Association/Youth Farm and Market Project
• Seward Neighborhood Group/ArtiCulture
• Sheridan Neighborhood Organization/Immigration History Research Center
• Summit University Planning Council/Lao Family Community of Minnesota

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Mobile Broadcast Units

This summer CURA is supporting an exciting new project called “Minneapolis Art on Wheels.” Two art graduate students, Peter Thompson and T.J. Barnes, working with faculty member Ali Momeni, are developing collaborative projects with community organizations to demonstrate how Mobile Broadcast Units (MBUs) can be used for outreach and engagement. In addition, they are developing an online content-gathering tool to facilitate community engagement projects using MBUs, and are developing an online casebook and manual to provide guidelines for students and community organizations to develop collaborative projects to promote community engagement.

What are MBU’s?

Each MBU consists of:

1. a specially designed three wheeled bicycle
2. a very powerful projector capable of projecting 60′ by 40′ images outdoors
3. a small generator to provide power
4. a battery powered sound system
5. a powerful laser pointer
6. a camera and real-time software for tracking the laser pointer so as to allow us to draw on buildings in real-time.

MBUs are powerful media-diffusion tools with a wide range of applications for public art, social engagement, and community outreach. They leverage mobility, scale, and real-time interactive audio-visual software for the purpose of engaging broad audience in creative interaction with mobile media. Their mobility allows use of this cutting edge system in neighborhoods with lower access to technology. Their ability to project images outdoors as large as 60 by 40 feet, and to diffuse 1200 watts of sound, can transform public spaces into immersive environments.

Art students working with Dr. Ali have built three MBUs that will be available for University of Minnesota art students on an ongoing basis to develop collaborative community engagement projects.

For more information on MBUs, visit neighborhoodartonwheels.org. There is also a calendar on the website announcing MBU showings around the Twin Cities. New events will be added to the calendar as they are scheduled. 

To inquire about using MBUs in your community, contact T.J. Barnes at barne306@umn.edu.  

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Events Calendars

Council of Public Engagement Calendar, University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Events Calendar

Community Connections Calendar (sponsored by Target Corporation and the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute)

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Previous Issues

Volume 1, Number 1 (Spring 2007)
Volume 1, Number 2 (Summer 2007)
Volume 1, Number 3 (Winter 2007)