Word on the Streets

Greenways as a road to gentrification (happy hour Q and A)

Who: Dr. Melody Hoffmann, bicycle advocacy researcher

Where: Honey, 205 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55414

When: 5:30 pm on Thursday June 27th (program at 6:00pm)

At this happy hour Q&A session we welcome guest speaker Dr. Melody Hoffmann, a local blogger and recent recipient of a doctorate from the University of Minnesota in Communication Studies. Melody will talk about some of her important dissertation work on how the development of bicycle infrastructure into underserved neighborhoods can cause gentrification and displacement of established communities. She will also discuss how limited demographic diversity within the modern bicycle advocacy movement affects its ability to address questions of gentrification and bicycle equity.

Melody will give a short presentation starting at 6pm, and then answer questions from the audience. Please arrive early to grab a drink and chat! This event is free and open to the public.

RSVP on Facebook.

posted by | June 16, 2013

Bikeways for Everyone Workgroup Meeting- Monday at 6:30 pm

The Bikeways for Everyone Work Group meets the third Monday of each month. This month's meeting will be this Monday, June 17th, from 6:30 to 8pm, in the building in Bryant Square Park. Come out to learn how to help with current campaigns like Washington Ave and Minnehaha Ave, as well as exciting changes to the website, plans for open streets, and other projects. New volunteers always welcome!

Drop us a line at [email protected] for more information. Hope to see you there!

posted by | June 15, 2013

Events/Outreach Meeting 6/5/13

On Wednesday, June 5th, Events and Outreach volunteers met to check in on progress of event planning and to discuss budget issues.

Updates from various volunteers were shared, including the new Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition LinkedIn page, which people can follow for updates.

Additionally, the need for volunteers for the four Open Streets this summer was emphasized. Kevin Kalligher, Volunteer Coordinator for Open Streets, encouraged those present to spread the word about the need for volunteers through their personal networks, and to volunteer themselves.

Volunteers are also needed to help plan the 2013 Member Party. Contact Christ Nelson ([email protected]) if you are interested in helping out with this event.

The Happy Hour group updated the larger group on progress for the next Happy Hour; they are looking for a suitable venue for a June event. More details to follow.

The Rides group is in the process of planning the next group ride. More discussion is needed for the planning of logistics.

After sharing all updates, the large group broke into smaller groups to discuss budget proposals for events related costs. The proposals were discussed as a large group and an Events Budget was determined for the remainder of 2013.

Tabling was also discussed at this meeting, both in the form of a debrief from tabling at May Day (giveaways such as stickers were a big hit) and as a question raised about how to deal with individuals who approach volunteers with negative comments about bicycles or the Coalition. A volunteer was assigned to make up a short “talking points” list for dealing with negative individuals. Additionally, proposals on how to get more volunteers to table were shared, such as: specific requests, personalized requests, and showing gratitude for volunteers.

The next Events/Outreach meeting will be scheduled for 5-6 weeks from this meeting.