Consistently collecting and sharing public works data

We are so excited to have you here, Director Hutcheson! I am renting an apartment in the 1st Ward and rely primarily on my bike to get around the city. I would echo many of the comments here supporting bike/walk/transit and equitable investments. I am in graduate school for urban planning, and have encountered numerous issues with data availability in Minneapolis. Researchers, advocates, city staff and city consultants would all benefit tremendously if data for things like ADA accessibility of ramps at intersections, sidewalk locations, sidewalk maintenance, location of pedestrian walk signals, street widths, etc. was consistently collected and made publicly available in Excel or GIS shape file format. Open and reliable data is a cornerstone of the world-class, 21st Century city. Without it, we can't know if we're doing better or worse as a city. We can't know if resources are being distributed equitably. We can't harness the creativity of programmers and developers who could create useful apps. Staff and consultants are wasting time and money tracking down and processing fragmented data. The things we can measure are the things we're most likely to change. As Public Works Director, you can make it a priority to collect and share public works data. I hope you do!


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