Background

The METRO Blue Line Extension Light Rail Transit project will extend the existing Blue Line from Target Field Station in Minneapolis northwest to Brooklyn Park and connect communities along the way. The communities along the way include North Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Brooklyn Park. Currently, the project is deciding between two alignments in North Minneapolis. Around this alignment work, CURA has been contracted by Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council to lead the Blue Line Extension Anti-Displacement Project. This project serves to lead the community through a project to examine the extent to which displacement is or will…

Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with the Center of Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) to establish an Anti-Displacement Workgroup related to the design and construction of the METRO Blue Line Extension light rail. This action to invest in anti-displacement is intended to support corridor residents, businesses, and equitable development in the corridor.

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Workgroup will comprise diverse perspectives

With community input, the project team designed an initial work plan, and local groups submitted proposals for the contract. A committee with corridor community and business…

We believe that support and fair treatment of individuals with criminal records is fundamental for a functioning society. The fact that our criminal justice systems create disparities means our society is not working properly. Criminal records impact individuals and families far beyond the punishment of a crime and keep people from living a good life, which everyone has a right to.

Project Goals

As a project-based initiative, we seek projects and work that align with our values and goals to support our mission and vision. 

Many 911 systems in the United States use older technologies that struggle to account for the diverse ways of communicating during an emergency or disaster, and dispatchers taking calls must make rapid decisions based on limited information. While newer technology can identify callers’ locations, there is an opportunity to explore how technology can assist in determining the reason for the call and suggesting appropriate responses.

Given this opportunity, HUP recently coordinated a connection between Hennepin County and Professors Tom Fisher (College of…

Researcher: Forrest Fleischman (Department of Forest Resources, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences)

In recent decades cities have emerged as a major locus of environmental policymaking. Policymaking is the result of people advocating for policy change, yet there are few studies examining what makes advocacy effective at changing policy. Ineffective advocacy strategies by individuals and groups such as businesses, community organizations, and nonprofits may waste community resources and lead to poor policy outcomes when important voices are left out of decision-making. The long history of environmental advocacy in the Twin Cities has…

The Eastside Stories production group formed to amplify the voices of BIPOC residents and business owners in East St. Paul to foster a deeper sense of community. Other neighborhoods in the Twin Cities have done an excellent job of sharing their stories and history like Rondo, the Northside of Minneapolis and Camden town. Yet the East side remains a bit of a mystery to those outside and even inside our community. People don't know what’s happening if the  stories are not being told, so a small group of us came together to tell these stories. So far we have produced 13 stories in the series, and we will create three new stories during summer and fall of 2021.

The Summer Backyard Arts Festival will support a 4-plex of neighbors led by Keegan Xavi to co-create summer 2021 backyard art events and activities for the surrounding Northside’s Old Highland neighborhood neighborhood. Collective creation leads to strategy and direct action that support, bond and nourish our neighborhood in the face of a pandemic and in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.

In “The Uses of Anger”, Lorde passionately states: “...anger expressed and translated into action in the service of our vision and our future is a liberating and strengthening act of clarification, for it is in the painful process of this translation that we identify who are our allies with whom we have grave differences, and who are our genuine enemies...Anger is loaded with information and energy.” (Lorde, 1981). This artist-led community art project, inspired by Audre Lorde’s essay, allows members of the Rondo Community in St. Paul to recognize and validate their feelings of anger constructively through artistic expression. The lead artist, paired with a team of dedicated artistic…

Artist: Geno Okok with the City of Brooklyn Park and Waterside Market

This project will address the issue of social exclusivity and lack of attention to diversity within the city of Brooklyn Park. With 54% of its residents being BIPOC and 30% being immigrants, Brooklyn Park is one of the most diverse cities within the State. However, these communities are not part of the focal point of the city, and are often not recognized by City officials or in the city as being an intricate part of the community. We will create a large scale public mural that promotes social inclusivity of immigrant residents by highlighting the various cultures and diversity that…

Minnesota’s English Learner student population has consistently grown in recent years and is growing at a faster rate than the total student population. A complex web of funding streams intends to support English Learners; however, concerns have been raised over whether designated funding is reaching English Learners and whether it is providing adequate support. This report aims to address those concerns through the following study aims: 1.) Provide a clear understanding of English Learner funding streams and how the funding is spent, 2.) Get a sense of whether the current funding is meeting students’ needs, and 3.) Offer suggestions of how English Learner funding could be improved.…