The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota supports applied research projects by faculty that actively involve community partners in the research process. These programs provide grants, technical assistance, or other support for applied faculty research projects.
The…
The Resilient Communities Project (RCP) is accepting proposals from local government agencies anywhere in Minnesota for 2025-2026 partnerships to address your community's research and technical assistance needs. Proposals must include a minimum of three discrete projects intended to advance community sustainability, equity, and resilience.
RCP partners with local government agencies to build resilience and spark positive change through the power of university research. Each year, we support projects that address a broad range of local issues and needs, involving any department or division in your…
The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) is pleased to announce the competition for the 2025–2026 Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs, and invites interested faculty from across the University of Minnesota to apply for this award.
The Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs provides one year of support for the research activities of a University of Minnesota faculty member on a project related to urban and regional affairs in Minnesota. Previous holders of the chair have used this support to complete projects on urban environmental policy advocacy in the Twin Cities, employee turnover and retention…
The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) invites proposals for our Community Action Research Grant (formerly the Faculty Interactive Research Program, FIRP). University of Minnesota faculty are critical resources in exploring issues and concerns important to Minnesota, such as the criminal justice system, demography, state or local economic development, education, employment, energy, the environment, health, housing, state and local government, welfare and…
By Cirien Saadeh, PhD
A Historic Policy Change
What are CURA Stories?
CURA Stories bring our mission, vision, and values to life through powerful, human-centered narratives that celebrate the work of our community and government partners. These monthly stories highlight how deep partnerships, shared expertise, and organizing as a form of leadership drive racial equity, social justice, and transformative change in Minnesota’s diverse communities. Please share this newsletter with others and share with us what past CURA…The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota is looking for a skilled full-stack developer with a background in data science to create a web application that empowers communities, researchers, and advocates.
This tool will make it easier to understand rental property ownership, eviction patterns, and housing code violations in Minneapolis. By combining interactive maps and visualizations of ownership networks, it will shine a light on the connections between property owners and provide actionable insights to support housing equity and transparency.
What you’ll build:
- …
The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) is thrilled to announce that its Neighborhood Leadership and Organizing program and Neighborhoods Now! training have received the Unsung Hero Award from the National Community-Based Organization Network (NCBON).
The Unsung Hero Award serves to highlight the often unheralded accomplishments of community leaders who work…
A new study by CURA Research Associate Anthony Damiano and CURA Director Edward Goetz examines how investor size and type influence outcomes in the single-family rental (SFR) market in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Comparing institutional players like REITs and private equity firms to smaller local landlords. Spatially, private equity firms were hyperconcentrated in lower income communities of color while REIT-owned homes were more concentrated in middle-income suburbs. They also found differences in terms of eviction rates by owner type. Among local landlords, the smallest landlords had the lowest average eviction rates and eviction rates rose as…
Led by the Initiative on Cities at Boston University, Loretta Lees (Boston University), Kenton Card (University of Minnesota and Boston University) and Andre Comandon (University of Southern California) developed a new tool to be implemented by the Louisville Metro Government to guide decisions about residential investments. The tool is the result of a collaboration…
Next Deadline for Spring Projects: October 15
The Kris Nelson Community-Based Research Program builds the power and capacity of community-based organizations to create social change through partnerships with the University of Minnesota. We match the research and technical needs of organizations with student research assistants to carry out community-defined and community-guided projects. CURA works with organizations selected for the program to create shared understanding and action based on the results.
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The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has announced the University of Minnesota earned the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award in recognition of the extraordinary community engagement initiatives of the U of M’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). As the top honoree in its region of the country, the U of M will now compete for the national C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, which will be announced in November.
As part of the University's Office of the Vice Provost For Public Engagement, CURA…
The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs is excited to announce that CURA’s Senior Research Associate Dr. Brittany Lewis has been named the 2024 President's Community-Engaged Scholar.
The University of Minnesota President's Community-Engaged Scholar Award recognizes one faculty or P&A researcher annually for exemplary engaged scholarship. The award recipients have demonstrated a longstanding academic career that embodies the University of Minnesota’s definition of public engagement. The President…
- Also, CURA’s support of anti-displacement work receives the 2024 Kingsley Impact Award
- And other legislative and policy news from 2024
Housing advocates and place-based community organizations are celebrating a $10 initial million investment from the Minnesota State Legislature in funding the new Anti-Displacement Community Prosperity Program…
Excerpted from Local Data for Equitable Communities Resource Hub, a publication of NNIP…