Youth play a crucial role in envisioning and realizing our future communities, but are often left out of the planning process. In this month’s episode we speak with Darcie Vandegrift, a Principal Researcher at the Metropolitan Council, about her research on the relationship between youth and parks. This research aimed to better understand youth experiences in parks by focusing on motivations for participation, barriers to access, and desired activities and amenities. Listen to the episode to learn more about the research process, their findings, and how this information is being used.

Gentrification has impacted many people living in cities as under-invested neighborhoods have been transformed into higher wealth areas. As the cost of living increases, gentrification often leads to the displacement of longtime residents who can no longer afford to live in these areas. Local jurisdictions can take steps to monitor these changes and implement policies and processes that minimize negative impacts to residents. In this episode we talk with Ed Goetz, professor of urban and regional planning at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, director of Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota, and coauthor of The Diversity of Gentrification report, which looks at gentrification in Minneapolis and St. Paul over 15 years and provides recommended policy approaches to shift narratives.

Planning decisions and policies can have devastating consequences on the social environment and disproportionately impact communities of color. An example in recent history is the construction of I-94 through the thriving African American Rondo neighborhood in the City of St. Paul. This planning decision tore apart a community of color, leaving damages that have lasted generations. Now, almost 70 years later, the community is working with the City and other partners to repair this harm. In this episode we talk with Keith Baker, executive director of ReConnect Rondo, and Tony Johnson, senior planner at the City of St. Paul about these efforts.

Data gathered through Census is used to inform planning processes at many levels. The new data for 2020 Census was released by the U.S. Census Bureau in August 2021. But what were the changes in the 2020 Census and how did they impact the results? What did we learn from those results and how do they impact our work? In this episode, Matt Schroeder, Principal Researcher at the Metropolitan Council, walks us through the whole process, changes, results, and how to challenge those results. You can access more information and resources through the U.S. Census Data and Census 2020 page of our website.

Nowadays, the effects of a changing climate are apparent in every aspect of our lives. The uncertainties created by climate change make long-term planning for future investments difficult. As such, ongoing efforts are trying to find a way to better understand the impact of these uncertainties. Staff at the Metropolitan Council, in partnership with academic institutions, have worked to put together a tool to assist local communities with envisioning possible alternative futures based on data on greenhouse gas emissions. In this episode, we expand on this topic in our conversation with Mauricio Leon, senior researcher at the Metropolitan Council and Kaitlin Osterman, student at Macalester College.

The Metropolitan Council's Solar for Vouchers Program provides technical assistance to help multifamily rental property owners install solar panels and reduce their energy costs. Property owners can take advantage of these savings in exchange for a commitment to rent some of their units at market rates to Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program participants. In this episode, Cameran Bailey and Baris Gumus-Dawes talk about the background information, details, and benefits of this program. 

All communities have to deal with parking requirements. These requirements can at times impose tremendous limitations on developments. Considering the wide impact that parking requirements can have on future of development, many communities have undertaken efforts to reform them. Additionally, with changes in parking demand and driving habits, as well as innovative practices, many communities have started to incorporate new parking management ideas in their code. In this episode, we expand on this topic in our conversation with Sean Walther and Jennifer Monson from the City of St. Louis Park, and Lance Bernard from HKGi.

More and more communities have been considering health in their long-range planning and policy discussions. Many have incorporated health in their 2040 comprehensive plans. Staff from the Public Health Law Center, Minnesota Department of Health, and the Metropolitan Council worked on a collaborative project to review over 50 local comprehensive plans and analyze how communities have included public health goals in these plans. The purpose of the project is to use this information to provide technical assistance to other communities and implementation strategies. This episode explores the methodology and findings of this research.