Investing in North Minneapolis
Team: Julia Robinson (School of Architecture-PI & Co-Instructor), Savannah Steele (School of Architecture-Co-Instructor), Julia Friedrichsen (School of Architecture, RA), Jaycie Thomsen (Northside Saftety NET Environmental Initiative- Director of Intern Program and Consultant), Timothy Griffin (Minnesota Design Center-Consultant), Jamil Ford (Moblize Design & Architecture, Consultant), Michael Chaney (Project Sweetie Pie, Consultant), Rochelle Washington (West Broadway Business & Area Coalition), Shawn Lewis (Minneapolis Parks Foundation), School of Architecture
The Investing in North Minneapolis project engages the community in developing grassroots urban designs that express North Minneapolis residents’ vision for their neighborhood’s future.
The Investing in North Minneapolis project engages the community in developing grassroots urban designs that express North Minneapolis residents’ vision for their neighborhood’s future. This collaborative project brings together North Minneapolis organizations and individuals with the University of Minnesota School of Architecture to develop and communicate the vision over four years (2021-2025). It leverages the work of university students who work closely with Northside Safety NET interns from Environmental Initiative (an environmental careers exploration program for Northside youth of color) in a fall semester urban design class.
In collaboration with community members, university students and interns co-create designs that 1) build on existing community assets (such as West Broadway Businesses, North Point Health Center, Community Gardens, Juxtaposition Arts, Capri Theater, North High School, etc.), 2) identify missing assets (such as mixed-income housing, safe streets, youth services, and neighborhood commercial area with locally owned shops and restaurants), and 3) propose desired changes in the environment.
The site area goes from Olson Memorial Avenue on the South to Lowry Avenue on the North, and from Theodore Wirth Parkway on the West to the Mississippi River on the South, with the goal of creating a sustainable and equitable future for North Minneapolis.
