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Welcome new Public Works Director Robin Hutcheson to Minneapolis and her new job. Share your vision about how Public Works interacts with your life and / or about how a visionary Director could best lead Public Works to serve Minneapolis. |
Boost and support other visions. Like what someone else has to say? Click "comment" to add to it, or tell Director Hutcheson that "this is important to me!" |
We will deliver your messages to Director Hutcheson on September 1st!
Making a Minneapolis an equitable and transit friendly city!
posted by Shruthi Kamisetty | August 11, 2016
Welcome to Minneapolis, Director Hutcheson! I work on the West Bank in Minneapolis and plan on moving to Minneapolis in the future. Over the last 4 years, I have enjoyed commuting and exploring this great city on foot, by bike and using public transit. The accessibility of these alternative forms of transportation have enabled me to get a sense of the unique and vibrant neighborhoods that make up this city . However, we can do so much better. Although, Minneapolis is often deemed as one of the most bike friendly cities in the US, there is still so much more progress to made in all parts of city, especially those that have been historically dis invested in. There are numerous benefits to ensuring that Minneapolis is transit friendly for ALL citizens. I look forward to the progress that will be made under your stewardship as you consider all voices and perspectives in trying to make this city more transit friendly and transit accessible. Best wishes to you!
Consistently collecting and sharing public works data
posted by Maria Wardoku | August 04, 2016
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!
Working to give all residents transportation options
posted by Alex Tsatsoulis | August 04, 2016
Welcome Director Hutcheson! I live in the 2nd Ward and bike, take transit, and drive around this great city of ours. My partner and I (and our toddler) specifically moved to where we do in Minneapolis because the access to bike trails and good transit (we're by the 21, 53, and Blue Line) means we have multiple options to get around. It also enables us to own only one car for our household, which we use sparingly. I hope that you can help keep moving our city to become a place where everyone who lives here - no matter where in Minneapolis they live - has safe ways to bike to where they need, fast and frequent transit service, and affordable and accessible options to get to where they need to go.
The Passion to Learn our Residents' Dreams and the Courage to Build a Better World
posted by Azul Kmiecik | August 04, 2016
In the languages of my family, welcome and bienvenido a Minneapolis. I live in Whittier and bike year round for transportation, environmental reasons, economic reasons, and because I love it. I have lived in Minneapolis since 1999 and I am still exploring and learning about our city and the diverse communities that make Minneapolis home. I hope that as Public Works Director, before jumping into anything, you prioritize traveling all across this city - libraries, community centers, parks, train and bus stops, schools, coffee shops, corner stores - and talking with residents about their hopes and ideas for transportation, green space, safety on the road and sidewalks, health in their neighborhoods, and whatever else comes up. I encourage you take the best of what you hear, share it widely, and begin building plans for a city that connects us all to resources and opportunities, that maintains and adds neighborhoods resources equitably, that is affordable for all, and that builds bridges not barriers. Thank you for joining our community and I look forward to working together!
Take year-round walks with residents through their neighborhoods
posted by Janelle Nivens | August 04, 2016
Welcome to Minneapolis Director Hutchinson! I am a walker. When possible, I walk 7+ miles to work at the University of Minnesota East Bank campus. I walk to grocery shop, eat a local restaurants and drink at breweries. I walk across bridges over the mighty Mississippi River and the Minnehaha Creek. I walk on miles and miles of protected trails around lakes. I walk through beautiful public spaces and look at interesting public art. I walk to bus stops. I walk on busy streets. I walk through alleys. I walk through snow. I walk on ice. I walk in the rain. I walk with friends who use mobility assistance like scooters and canes. I walk knowing that one day I may need similar assistance. I walk with the knowledge of the privilege my physical appearance affords me to explore my city's every nook and cranny without fear of someone calling the cops. I walk with fear that my life will end while doing the thing I love because of car culture. I walk on sidewalks that are also used as bike lanes because of a history of putting cars first. I walk knowing that the City of Minneapolis can be city known as a top place for walking just as it is known as a top place for biking. As I welcome you to Minneapolis, I also invite you to explore the city with me on foot. I'd love to talk with you about what's working and what isn't. I know other residents would love to do the same from their perspective.
Innovation for alternate forms of transportation for an equitable and inclusive community
posted by Emily Voelkner | August 04, 2016
Welcome to Minneapolis, Director Hutcheson! I rent in the 12th Ward in the Ericsson neighborhood and work in Elliot Park (Ward 6). I either bike, walk, or use the bus or light rail system for transportation, year-round. One of the reasons I choose to live and work in Minneapolis is the system of alternative forms of transportation available and yet to come, like the fulfillment of Complete Streets! Public Works is so important to my daily life, and I know that a Director with vision will help us make changes that will support a safe, equitable community for Minneapolis. To me that means safe, affordable, people-friendly ways to get around our City for all folks. Thanks!
Welcome! Alternate forms of transportation, equity and community!
posted by Emily Stumpf | July 29, 2016
Welcome! Minneapolis is excited to have you! I live in Whittier and work on the West Bank. I get to work year-round by bicycle if possible. I have lived in Minneapolis for exactly a year and I am excited to see things like Complete Streets pass. Public Works has a big impact on our City, and I am excited to see what you will be able to do with our City. I put my priorities in community, transportation options including biking and walking, and equity. I hope that you will take these into consideration as you begin your work here! Thank you, and welcome again!
Welcome! Vision and foresight to hear all voices and advance a more equitable city
posted by Laura Kling | July 28, 2016
Welcome, Director Hutcheson! I am a resident of the 9th Ward. I rent, and I ride my bike or walk or take transit everywhere. I am a person of color, and I am involved with my community, organizing and supporting safer spaces. I work on encouraging people to ride their bikes more. Some communities don't value and use bikes in the same way that white, middle class people do. Instead of trying to do something that would change the "behavior" of someone not riding a bike, we think about the systems in place that devalue or prohibit bikes and bike riding. For example, if systems of oppression and systemic racism make it difficult or impossible for some people to afford a car or get a drivers license, the bike can become a mark of poverty or make you more vulnerable to abuse on the street, which doesn't make people want to ride them! Policies that are not sensitive to barriers caused by these systems of racism and oppression reinforce things like privilege, profiling, and unfair enforcement. (More reasons not to ride a bike.) Public Works has such a broad impact on Minneapolis, beyond streets and water and electricity. I use this bike example because it is what I know, but I think it explains how I see Public Works has opportunities to look at systems of oppression and racism and make a difference in our lives. A visionary Public Works director has the opportunity to improve policies around how communities are engaged, how streets are prioritized to fulfill our Complete Streets policy, making sure all communities have access to services, etc. There are so many different needs in the City, and I am looking forward to how you, our new director of Public Works, will use your vision and foresight to hear all voices and orchestrate these complex systems for a more equitable city. Welcome!