A Year of Progress Toward Transportation Equity

As the year draws to a close, we are taking a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey we've been on in 2023. It has been a year of challenges, triumphs, and, most importantly, progress in our mission to make our streets places where people can easily and comfortably walk, bike, roll, and use public transit.

Advocacy Wins

Thanks to your advocacy:

The City of Minneapolis passed a formal resolution to decommission Olson Memorial Highway.
Two Highway-to-Boulevard conversions were included in MnDOT's Rethinking I-94 project alternatives.
We've knocked more than 70,000 doors and established more than 60 community partnerships across the state.
We’ve launched our Imagine Series, a new event series co-creating future street designs that put people first.
We successfully advocated for municipal sidewalk plowing; the Minneapolis City Council included funding to begin a program starting with the pedestrian priority network.

Adapting to Challenges

Our work isn’t without its challenges. This year, the City of Minneapolis put Open Streets Minneapolis in jeopardy—despite more than 100,000 attendees and 300 neighborhood organizations, small businesses, local entrepreneurs, artists, and nonprofits finding common ground at five events in 2023 alone. As a Minneapolis summer tradition, over 50 Open Streets events have brought together more than half a million people since 2011.

Community Engagement

2023 was a year of community! Outside of a successful Open Streets Minneapolis season, we hosted numerous events with partner organizations to engage affected communities on transportation issues. Your feedback and involvement have been invaluable in shaping our advocacy efforts.

These forums are a demonstration of our commitment to equity and ensuring underserved communities have a voice in the decision-making processes. Together, we made strides toward a more just and inclusive transportation system.

Looking Ahead

In 2024, we have ambitious plans. We want to lead the Twin Cities, the state, and the nation with our “integrated, community-centered investment approach” to transportation advocacy. With your continued support, we will advance the Twin Cities Boulevard initiative, a grassroots movement aimed at uplifting communities along the highway, addressing historical and ongoing harms, and reconnecting the entire 7.5-mile Rethinking I-94 project corridor.

Together, we will also expand our efforts on Bring Back 6th, a collaborative project with the Harrison Neighborhood Association and other community partners. We'll continue to tell the history of 6th Avenue North and work to repair the historical and ongoing harms associated with Olson Memorial Highway.

Furthermore, we plan to continue to innovate programming opportunities that lead to meaningful spaces for community and co-creation. We're thrilled to invite you and the Twin Cities community to join us for our Imagine event series. Stay tuned for announcements about dates and details!

Where we’re going, everyone is welcome. Please consider a meaningful gift this year that will help us increase our canvassing footprint in 2024 to involve residents in our campaigns’ designs and decision-making as we grow the reach of our events. Thank you for supporting streets for people!