CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY

January 29, 2014University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota

Sponsors Corridors of OpportunityMetropolitan CouncilMcKnightFoundationCenterforTransportationStudies,University of Minnesota

From Pilot to Practice

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The Corridors of Opportunity ef-fort achieved a number of success-ful outcomes:

• Nineteen community grants enabled community organiza-tionstoengagemorethan20,000 people.

• The U7 Partnership provided technical community development assistance to more than 350 businesses.

• A loan pool was created that allowed investment in 631 newmulti-familyhousingunits(75%affordable),andup to 40 vacant homes will be rehabbed along the METRO Green and Blue lines.

Approximately160representativesfromlocal,state,andfederalgovern-mentagencies,aswellascommunityorganizations,advocacygroups,and students, gathered at the University of Minnesota on January 29 to celebratetheprogressmadethroughtheCorridorsofOpportunityeffortand to share lessons learned. Now called the Partnership for Regional Opportunity,thecollaborationwillcontinueforatleastanotheryearandfocusontransit-orienteddevelopment,regionalcompetitiveness,trans-portationfunding,andequityandcommunityengagement.

TheCorridorsofOpportunityeffortwasfundedthrougha$5milliongrantfromtheU.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment(HUD)Sus-tainableCommunitiesprogramandnearly$16millioningrantsandloansfromtheLivingCitiesIntegrationInitiative.

About Corridors of Opportunity

ronmentally sound, and socially equitable,heexplained.“Aswemovefrompilottopractice…wemust support each other to reach scale where the impacts are deep and widely felt. Our challenge today is to commit our energy to a growing,prosperous,andequi-table region.”

“CorridorsofOpportunitycametous just as our region [Minneapo-lis–St.Paul]wascomingoutoftherecession,” Metropolitan Council

chairSusanHaighcontinued.Thisregion has one of the best econo-mies in the country with many strengths,shesaid.However,prosperity that is widely shared does not just happen, but must beintentionallyactedon.“Shift-ing from Corridors of Opportunity to the Partnership for Regional Opportunity is about moving from a pilot project to a long-term com-mitment. We are here today to get energized and inspired to move fromaplantoaction.”

“TheUniversityofMinnesota’sCenterforTransportationStudiesand the Center for Urban and Re-gionalAffairshavebeenpartnersin the Corridors of Opportunity project over the past three years,” CTSdirectorLaurieMcGinnisex-plained as she opened the plenary session.“Wehadthepleasureofsittingonthepolicyboardandofcontributingresearchtohelpadvance knowledge in this area. We are excited to see you all here today as we mark this opportunity toputintoactionallofthegoodthings we have learned and all of thegoodpracticeswenowunder-stand are important as we move forward in our work.”

“Webeganthisjourneyfouryearsago when this region was desig-natedoneofHUD’sfirstsustain-able community partners in the country,”LeeSheehy,McKnightFoundationprogramdirector,added.“Todaywehavetheprivi-legeofcelebratingouraccomplish-ments.” Corridors of Opportunity has become a cross-sector regional partnership seeking growth that iseconomicallyefficient,envi-

Welcome and IntroductionLaurie McGinnis, Director, Center for Transportation Studies, University of MinnesotaLee Sheehy, Program Director, Region and Communities Program, The McKnight FoundationSusan Haigh, Chair, Metropolitan Council

The work that provided the basis for this publicationwassupportedbyfundingunderanawardwiththeU.S.DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment.Thesubstanceandfindingsoftheworkarededicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpreta-tionscontainedinthispublication.Suchinterpretationsdonotnecessarilyreflectthe views of the government.

Susan Haigh

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In 2010, the Corridors of Opportunity initiative was selected as one of the 45 funded initiatives under the HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning grant program. This program has influenced federal decision making and fostered regional cross-sector partnerships to advance strategies that improve access to jobs, housing, and amenities; increase transportation choices; and enhance economic competitiveness by improving opportuni-ties for people of all incomes and backgrounds.

The two guest speakers discussed the national importance of this work in making lasting changes to strengthen communities and economies.

Antonio Riley began his remarks bythankingattendeesfortheopportunity to help celebrate the completionofthreeyearsofwhathetermedan“impressivecollab-orativeeffort.”Thevisioncreatedunder the Corridors of Opportu-nityinitiativewillprovidediversebenefitstotheresidentsoftheMinneapolis–St.Paulmetropolitanareaandenhancetheregion’scompetitiveedgeinattractingjobsandprivateinvestment,hesaid.“Iam excited to learn about your fu-ture plans for this region and how the federal government can be an evenmoresignificantpartnerinthateffort.”

Riley pointed to some of the major accomplishments completed through the Corridors of Opportu-nityinitiativeandpraisedthere-

gionforitsefforts.“Youhavedem-onstratedthatcooperationamongdiverse local governments can be obtained to achieve a regional vision…Ialsohavebeenthoroughlyimpressed by your commitment to engage the underrepresented segmentsofapopulationwhosevoicestraditionallygounheard.And, you have made an exem-plaryeffortinundertakingtheFairHousingandEquityAssessment(FHEA)toidentifyneedsandop-portunitiestoaffirmativelyfurtherfairhousingthroughouttheentiremetropolitan region.”

TheTwinCitiesareaisrecognizednationallyasacenterofvisionaryleadership and planning to create and preserve healthy, viable com-munities,Rileycontinued.Whilefederal grants help support such

endeavors, success really comes from local vision and leadership; cooperativeinvestmentsoftimeand resources by the business community,foundations,aca-demicinstitutions,andcommunityorganizations;andfrom“theheartand the soul of people who live in thosecommunities,”hesaid.

These investments—coupled with otheractivitiessuchasintegratingtransportationandland-useplan-ning, preserving and revitalizing neighborhoods,creatingwalkablecommunities,andbroadlydistrib-utingaffordablehousing—createexactly the kind of synergy Presi-dent Obama had in mind when he directed his appointees to work more closely together to break downorganizationalsiloswithinand between federal agencies, Rileyexplained.“ThePresident’sinstructiontouswastobuildononeanother’sprogramsandresourcestomoreeffectivelyservethe public.”

Whilethiseventisacelebrationof the recent successes of the Cor-ridorsofOpportunityinitiative,hecontinued,italsoisanopportunityto discuss, together, where to go next,howtocontinuebuilding

Plenary Session: Growing a Prosperous, Equitable, and Sustainable Region

partnerships,andwheretofindnewopportunitiestoworkwiththefederalgovernment.“Iknowthe value of our partnerships, and having you as a voice is important,” hesaid.“Youarelookingatanewfederalgovernmenttoday…Whenyou come up with ideas about what you want to accomplish, we willworkhandinhandwithyou…We are not just here to help, but we are ready to be your partner and your bridge to opportunity.”

AccordingtoSalinGeevarghese,“Itwas very clear from the beginning [oftheFederalPartnershipforSus-tainableCommunitiesinitiative]that the federal government must beapartnerwithcommunitiestoachievebetteroutcomes…ratherthan serve as an impediment or a problem to be solved. We must workacrossallsectors—nonprofit,public, private, and philanthropic—and leverage federal investments forgreatereffectivenessandef-ficiencyandtomaximizebenefitswhileminimizingcosts.”Issuesmust be approached comprehen-sively with integrated approaches andsolutions,heexplained,requiringthatsilosbetweenandamong agencies and policies be dismantled.“Wehavetoberesultsand performance oriented rather than process and compliance oriented as has been our focus for so long.”

TheTwinCitiesregionisamongthe very few places around the

country that competed suc-cessfullyforHUD’sSustainableCommunitiesRegionalPlanningGrantProgram,hecontinued.“Youareamongthe11percent[ofapplicantsawardedagrant],andIcongratulateyouforallyouhave accomplished: countless projects, corridor-wide planning and development, small business loans…cross-cutting,cross-sector[partnershipsbetween]organi-zations,leaders,residents,anddecisionmakers…allpoisedtohelp you move from Corridors of

Opportunity to the Partnership for Regional Opportunity—the new vision before you.”

Geevarghese acknowledged that althoughtheTwinCitiesisaregionwellknownnationallytohaveaccomplishedmuchinitseffortstodeveloptransitequity,Minne-apolis–St.Paulisstillnotdeliveringon this vision for all people in all neighborhoods. This region has unfinishedbusiness,hesaid,andnow has the chance to do more than simply talk about the state

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Guest Speakers:Antonio Riley, Regional Administrator, HUD Region V, United States Department of Housing and

Urban Development Salin Geevarghese, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, United States

Department of Housing and Urban Development

“We are not just here to help, but we are ready to be your partner and your bridge to op-portunity.”

—Antonio Riley

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ofequityandopportunityintheregion; it has the chance to do something about it.

“Istandbeforeyoutodayandaskyoutoseizeholdofyourunfin-ished work to create an economi-cally prosperous region for all of yourpeople.Doit,becausewecannotaffordforanychildinanyfamily not to have a chance to suc-ceed.Itismorethanjustamoralimperative;itisaneconomicimperative.”

To drive home this point, Geevar-ghese cited a recent study on economic mobility by a group of researchersfromHarvardUniver-sity and the University of Califor-nia,Berkeley.ItfoundthatupwardmobilityishigherincitieswithbetterK-12educationsystemsandless sprawl (as measured by com-mutetime)andincomeinequal-ity. These regions will become magnets for investment and be theplaceswheretalentwillflock,he predicted.

“Sowhodoyouwanttobe,MSP?Doyouwanttobearegionthatrests on its laurels and says it is doingaswellasitcan?Or,areyoumaking a decision today that you candobetter,youmustdobetter,andassuchyouarecommittingtofinishtheunfinishedbusiness?Asyouleave[thisevent],knowthatyou will have a federal partner who is with you, who will invest in you, who will hold you account-abletoyourownaspirations,andwho will celebrate your success. We will bring our ability to break down silos, remove barriers, and partner with you every step of the way…Wewilllistenkeenlytowhatyou need and bring you the value that enables you to seize your visionforeconomiccompetitive-nessandfinishyourunfinishedbusiness.”

“I stand before you today to ask you to seize hold of your unfinished work to create an economically prosperous region for all.”

—Salin Geevarghese

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Reacting to the guest speakers’ remarks, a panel of local voices reflected on the lessons learned from the Corridors of Opportuni-ty project and discussed the opportunities and challenges ahead in growing a prosperous, equitable, and sustainable region.

This discussion, which was led by St. Paul Deputy Mayor Paul Williams, largely centered on how the issue of equity is being ad-dressed in the region and what unfinished work must be moved forward as the Corridors of Opportunity initiative winds down and transitions to the Partnership for Regional Opportunity.

Gary Cunningham responded firstbypointingouttheongoingneed to target resources where “weknowthereisnotthesameamount of opportunity for every-one.” Every child in a community needs to have access to opportuni-ty,hesaid,butthatrequiresmorethan just a federal government programorbureaucraticmove-ment.“Thishastobeamovementof people all saying we want a differentworld.Weareturninga corner on the discussion about equity,opportunity,andaccess[inthisregion],becauseoftheleader-ship and courage from people like MetCouncilChairSusanHaigh,”hecontinued.“WeallhavetostandbehindChairHaighinthiseffortin order to realign how resources, access, and opportunity happen within this region.”

BusinessleaderJohn(Jay)CowlesIIIthendiscussedhisinvolvementintheItascaProject,aCEO-led,volunteer leadership group that includespoliticians,foundationexecutives,civicleaders,andlead-

ersofeducationalinstitutions.Thegroup’sintentionistounderstandwhatthestrategicprioritiesforthe region need to be in order to remaineconomicallycompetitive.

Cowlesreflectedthattheinitia-tive’sunfinishedbusinessisdeep-ening the community engagement workthatithascatalyzed.“We’vediscovered[throughItascaProjectefforts]thatnaturalbarriersexistfrom years of hardened silos and functionalfocus.Wehavebeenforced to discover the limits of our own comfort and knowledge ofthedifferentculturesinour

Moderator: Paul Williams, Deputy Mayor, City of St. Paul Panelists: John (Jay) Cowles III, President, Unity Avenue Associates, and Chair, Itasca Project

Transportation Initiative Gary Cunningham, Metropolitan Council Member, District 7, and Vice President and Chief

Program Officer, Northwest Area Foundation Mary Tingerthal, Commissioner, Minnesota Housing

Panel Discussion

Salin Geevarghese, Jay Cowles, Gary Cunningham, Mary Tingerthal, Antonio Riley

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community. One of our greatest challenges will be to really take ownership of the need for cultural competence,comfort,andsensitiv-ity so we can be as inclusive in our engagement process as we want to be.Alongwiththat,Ithinktherewill be an opportunity to develop accountability and transparency that we have not had to before, not only to one another and within theagenciesandinstitutions,butalso with the public. This will bring a kind of trust with the public that will allow great things to happen.”

Intermsofequityandafford-able housing, in many respects, theTwinCitieshasbeenwayoutahead of other regions, Mary Tingerthal added. This region is one of the few areas, for example, with a metropolitan-wide hous-ing and redevelopment authority enablingSection8voucherholders

toshopinmanycommunitiestofindthehousingtheyneed.Butinother ways some of the leadership in this area has atrophied, she said. As a result of the Corridors of Op-portunityinitiative,theTwinCitiesnow stands at the edge of redis-covering how to once again lead. “Ihopethatoverthenextthreeyears,HUDreallywillbemorefocused on outcomes and results and less on process and compli-ance and that the leaders in this room…gobackto[their]communi-tiestofindtherightwayswithin[them]toengagethisdiscussion.We will need those individual discussions as well as the greater discussion in order to make change happen.”

Moderator Paul Williams then explainedthatthe“equityconver-sation”hasbeengoingonintheTwinCitiesfora“verylongtime,”

andheaskedCowlesspecificallywhat has changed during the last three years [of the Corridors of Op-portunityproject]andhowreadybusiness is today to take on the issueofequity.

“Ithinkbusinessunderstandsthepracticalimperatives…butisstruggling with what its role is relativetothatofotherplayers,”Cowlesreplied.“Thegoodnewsisthat[thebusinesscommunity]isfocused on this issue and under-standsthatthedisparitiesinourregion are not tolerable as they currentlyexist.Assuch,Ithink[businesses]arecommittedtothe long term to work to develop partnerships and strategies.”

When asked to talk more spe-cificallyaboutwhatisneededtomovetheequityagendaforward,Cunningham said that as a region, weneedtochangecourse.“Weneedanadaptivechange…butoldhabitsaredifficulttochange…Weare used to doing things the way wehavealwaysdonethem.We’reataplacetodayintheTwinCitieswhere we could go either way. Wecouldeitherbeacompetitiveregionpositionedforopportunityand prosperity for all. Or, we could bearegionwherethe[afford-ableandaccessible]areaswherepeople can move into gets smaller andsmaller…Wehavetoinvestin areas of low income and low opportunity to make them places where everyone can live.”

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Cunningham’sremarksshiftedthe discussion toward the topic ofaffordablehousing,andWil-liams used the opportunity to ask Tingerthal to discuss some of Min-nesotaHousing’slatestinitiatives.

Theagency’s2014AffordableHousingPlanhastwokeypro-grams, she reported. One is a targeted mortgage opportunity program designed to make mort-gages available for people who do notquitemeettoday’sextremelystringent mortgage lending standards. Married to that is a pool of dollars to enable commu-nityorganizations,suchasBuildWealth Minnesota, to help families aspiring to become home owners gather the down payment and credit history and make the overall commitment necessary to become successful home owners.

Historically,thedebateonfairhousing has focused too much on the issue of rental housing, Tingerthal explained, adding that ifcommunitiesgetbehindthesetwoprogramsandfigureouthowthey play into the larger overall strategy, the result will be both an ownership and rental set of [af-fordablehousing]solutions.

While housing in and of itself is one part of economic devel-opment,Rileyadded,creatingeconomicopportunitiestomakecommunitiesviableisjustas

important.“Iaminterestedinlearning more about the business aspectofthisinitiativeandtotalkabout how federal partnerships canbemoresupportive.”

“The good news is that [the business community] is focused on this issue and un-derstands that the disparities in our region are not tolerable as they currently exist.”

—Jay Cowles

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Following the plenary session, practitioners attended one of three breakout sessions to discuss lessons learned and next steps for equitable transit-oriented development (TOD), regional equity and community engagement, and transportation investment to advance opportunity.

Equitable Transit-Oriented DevelopmentEquitable transit-oriented development ensures that people of modest means are able to benefit from transit and development investments. Panelists in this session discussed how the region is advancing equitable TOD, what’s been learned moving from plan-ning to implementation, and what challenges remain.

Concurrent Sessions

Moderator: Andriana Abariotes, Executive Director, Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support CorporationPanelists: Jay Bad Heart Bull, President and CEO, Native American

Community Development Institute (NACDI) Colleen Carey, President, The Cornerstone Group and Urban

Land Institute Trustee Minnesota John Doan, Director, Hennepin County Housing, Community

Works and Transit Brian Lamb, General Manager, Metro Transit

Moderator Andriana Abariotes set the scene for a panel discus-siononequitabletransit-orienteddevelopment. The intent, she said, is to share what has been learned over the last three years as well as what challenges lie ahead. This includesdifferentstrategiesforproductdevelopmentaroundTOD,district planning, joint develop-ment,andfinancing.“Howdowepulltogetheramyriadoffinancingtools?”sheasked.“Whatdoesitlooklikewhenwe’retalkingaboutfindingtherightopportunitysites,andhowdowecontrolthem?Andhow do we engage, because really, alotoftheplaceswe’retalking

aboutarealready-existingcom-munities?”

WhenJayBadHeartBullmovedtotheTwinCitiesfromSouthDakota,henoticedamuchmorediversecommunity.“TheAmericanIndianpopulationisveryintegrated,andsometimeswe’rehiddeninplainsight,”hesaid.HeexplainedthattheNativeAmericanCommunityDevelopmentInstitute(NACDI)aims to connect, organize, and implement the visions of the com-munity that honor its voice and its aspirations.OneoftheprojectsitisworkingonistheAnpetuWa’steCultural Arts Marketplace, located

in the median of East Franklin Avenueatthelight-railstation.“We’rereallytryingtoactivatethatareabecauseit’sjustadeadzone,”hesaid.NACDIistryingtopull in all community residents, notjustnativepeople,tousemasstransitandmakeitinviting.Thedevelopment will incorporate an arts marketplace for food vendors, entrepreneurs selling goods, a per-formancestage,andpublicart“tomakeitasaferjunctionforpeopleto interact and grow together and usemasstransitinamoreholisticand engaged way,” he said.

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The Cornerstone Group, Colleen Carey explained, has completed a varietyofdifferentprojectswiththe common thread of looking for opportunitiestohelpcommunitiessolveproblems.Inthe20yearsit’sbeendoingthat,ithaslearnedwhat actually solves problems, she continued.“Weusedtothinkthatour job was just to build a great building.Turnsoutcommunitiesneed a lot more than a great build-ing…It’smoreabouttheintangiblethings…Developersneedtohavea

moreintegrated,holisticapproachtowhatcreatescommunities,notjust build a building and hope ev-erythingworksout,”shesaid.“Theway to solve some of our prob-lems is to be living next to each other and knowing each other and understanding each other.” That includes building more mixed-income developments that are beautiful,designedwithhealthymaterials, and walkable and safe.

The Cornerstone Group also wants to incorporate arts and culture, nature, open space, urban agricul-ture,andopportunitiesforpeopletohavesocialconnectionsandlife-longlearning,Careycontinued.“Thosethingsdon’tjusthappen;youhavetobeveryintentionalaboutthem.Youcandesignspacesthat support that kind of thing,” she said. Two projects her group is currently working on are Lyndale GardensinRichfieldandaprojectin the Prospect Park neighborhood of Minneapolis at a Green Line light-rail stop.

FromhisfirstdaysattheMetro-politanCouncil,JohnDoansaid,there was discussion about the hugegapsandinequalityintheregionineducation,health,andotherindicatorsofqualityoflife.Atthattime,theCouncilhadjust received the COO grant, and he credits that with giving him amuchbetterunderstandingofwhatequitableTOD,andequityin the region, means and how it canbeimplemented.DoannowservesasdirectorforHennepinCounty’sHousing,CommunityWorksandTransitDepartment.“Idon’tknowofanyotherplace,atleast in local government, where housing, development, and transit are all bundled up into one port-folioofwork,”hesaid.“Manyoftheseinnovativetransformationalinvestments will happen and are happening right now at the county level.”

BrianLambnotedthatTODisnot a new concept—the metro

“Developers need to have a more integrated, holistic approach to what creates communities, not just build a building and hope everything works out.”

—Colleen Carey

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areawasbuiltonTOD.Everytimethe streetcar line extended, new neighborhoods developed; the same higher-density places that exist in the city right now were createdinthelate1800sandearly1900saroundstreetcars.“We’rerelearning some lessons at a very importanttimeinthisregion’sde-velopment,”hesaid;theregion’sdevelopment is predicated on the projectionofanother800,000to850,000peoplelivinghereby2040.“Howdowemovepeopleandnotjustvehicles?Howdowestimulatethatsamedevelopmentopportunity that was in place 100 to130yearsago?”

Metro Transit is in the process of creatingaTODoffice,Lambsaid,because“welivestreetcornertostreetcorner.Theopportunitiestomakeadifferencearen’talwaysinthesemagnificentbuildings…ateverystreetcornerthere’sanopportunity to make it work more effectively.”Insomecasesthatcalls for pedestrian improvements; in others, installing safety and securityelements.“Butinallcases,it’saboutcreatinganenvironment

where people of all colors...can have a voice in how they view the future.” The Corridors of Oppor-tunityframeworkisstartingtobeseededintoeveryeffortatMetroTransit, Lamb said—not just the GreenLine;theofficeisrestruc-turing all transit services in the Central Corridor to create a more connected set of neighborhoods. Thetransitsystem,hecontinued,is a network that can be built upon continually,withroomforcom-muter rail, light rail, and arterial buses.“Ifyousitonanyoneofthe vehicles in the transit system, youcanseeequityatwork…it

isn’treservedforthispersonorthatperson,”hesaid.“Thetransitsystem is a vision of what we can be and should be as a region.”

Abariotes moved the discussion intoaquestion-and-answertime,askingfirstforthoughtsfromBadHeartBullabouttheretrofittingof development along the Blue Linelight-railline.“Oneoftheinterestingthingsaboutthelight-railstationonFranklinAvenueisthatwhenitwasfirstbeingintroduced…thenativepopulationdidn’tshowup,ortheyweren’tengaged, and a lot of communi-tiesofcolorweren’tbroughtintothatprocess,”BadHeartBullsaid.“Onelessonthatourcommunitylearned is that we need to have our own community members advocatingandbeingpresentandinvitingourownconstituentstothetable.Gettingthatauthenticengagement in the community means going out and network-ing, being present in the neigh-borhoodassociations,including

Jay Bad Heart Bull, Colleen Carey, John Doan

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everyone…wholivesinthatcom-munity,” he said.

Theorganizationhassinceheldaseries of visioning sessions around transit, which were some of the most diverse engagement sessions he’severseen,hesaid.Peopleshowedup,hecontinued,“be-cause they trusted the organiza-tion.Theyknewthatwehadtheirbestinterestsatheart…Whenit’sagovernmentofficialcomingin,or someone without those [com-munity]connections,it’shardertoengage,”hesaid.“Beingthatadvocacy group that builds those bridgesforeverybodywho’sgoingto use Metro Transit was a big takeaway.”

Abariotes pointed out that Cor-ridors of Opportunity projects are providingdifferentvantagepointsfrom which to learn. An example ofdevelopment“outsidethebox,”Carey said, is a recent mixed-incomehousingdevelopment(80percent market rate, 20 percent affordable)thatincludesalargepublicspacecomponent.“We’renot just building an apartment buildinghere,we’rebuildinganentirecommunityandtransform-ing an area,” she said. This includes a concert stage, an urban farm, a pizzaoven,andafarmer’smar-ket pavilion. What also makes it challenging,Careycontinued,isthefinancing.“Whatwe’refindingisthecapitalmarketsystemisn’tready for this. One of the problems is that we have tried to make it allreallysimpleandefficientand

“If you sit on any one of the vehicles in the transit system, you can see equity at work...it isn’t reserved for this or that person.”

—Brian Lamb

cost-effective.Themostcost-effec-tivewaytoinvestinsomethingisifthe‘something’isthesameeverytime,”shesaid.Whatisneededis a culture change—to one that supports trying new things, being innovativeandcreative,andac-ceptingthatsometimesmistakeswill be made, she said.

LambechoedCarey’sthoughtsabouttheneedforinnovationandacceptingthatmistakesmayresult.“Weneedtocollaborate.The

chances of making big mistakes willbeless,”hesaid.InnovationisalsoneededinthewayTODprojectsarefinanced.“Weneedtofigureoutawaytoenticenewcapitalthathasn’tbeenabletounderstand this.” Doansaidthatontheissueoffinancingandcapital,oneoftheuniqueopportunitiesthatHen-nepin County has is that it can be patient.“Wecanbethelonger-term investment that says when

“One lesson that our commu-nity learned is that we need to have our own community members advocating and being present...”

—Jay Bad Heart Bull

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you put in a billion dollar invest-ment, we hope land values go up—they should go up,” he said. Unfortunately,asideeffectisthatpeople could be priced out of that market. And families that have lower incomes tend to be more transitdependent.“Howdowemake sure that in the process of making these investments that we at minimum hold harmless the impact to those people who are already there, but also create opportunitiesforotherstousethisinvestment who really need it and dependonit?”

Fromatransitperspective,Lambsaid,he’snotabletosaywhichprojects Metro Transit will be able to move forward with in the next several years; in contrast, many other regions have more long-rangeplans.Theexpectation,hesaid, is to get projects done on timeandonbudget—whichmay

mean less community engage-ment.“Butactiveengagementdoesn’tendwhenyouturnthatfirstshovel,”hesaid.

Finally, Abariotes asked panelists whatequityinTODlookslike.BadHeartBullsaidhisdefinitionofeq-uityisbalance.“Whenwe’retalk-

ing about development in these corridors,it’sabouthavingthecommunity involved in every step oftheprocess.It’snotjust‘Telluswhatyouwantandwe’llbuildit.’Tell us what you want, and be with us during the process.”

And,headded,“Successwouldlook like more brown faces in these discussions and rooms, at thesetablesandinleadership…I’dfeel welcome and feel like my com-munity is being represented.”

Doansaidequitabledevelopmentmeans,ataminimum,“doingnoharm…[Weneedto]makesurethere’smorepublicgoodthat’shappening,becausewe’remakingsuch huge investments.”

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and Minnetonka. According to Ja-net Jeremiah, the City of Eden Prai-riehasbeenactivelyinvolvedintheplanningeffortstoensurethisprojectwillbringapositiveimpactto the community, including its growingandvibrantpopulationofnew immigrants from East Africa.

Itisvitaltounderstandandincorporate the needs and ideas oftraditionallyunderrepresentedpopulationsascriticaldecisionsare made on investments in trans-portationandaffordablehousingalong the corridor, Jeremiah said, andtoavoidthedevastatingim-pact of poorly conceived transpor-tationprojectsofthepast.

New American Academy founder andexecutivedirectorAsadAliweydagreed.“Inorderfor[thesenewimmigrants]tosuc-ceed,weneedgoodeducationforourchildren,weneedaffordablehousing…wewanttogrowourjob

According to moderator Repa Mekha, the Community Engage-mentTeam(CET)wastaskedtodisperse$720,000inengagementgrants via two rounds of funding to support community-organizing projectsalongfourdifferenttran-sitways. This resulted in approxi-mately 39 grants to 26 community-basedorganizationsandservedtostrengthentherelationshipsbetweentheseorganizationsandthe various government agencies involved.“Itwasdeliberatetobuild these partnerships so that they would extend beyond the three-year grant period,” Mekha said.“Today’spanelistswillhigh-light some of their experiences as partofthiseffort.”

Southwest Corridor TheproposedSouthwestLight-RailTransit(LRT)line,targeted to open in 2019, will connect down-town Minneapolis to Eden Prairie throughSt.LouisPark,Hopkins,

Corridors of Opportunity set aside a portion of its funding for a series of outreach and engagement grants to those community groups that would support innovative, place-based initiatives to engage and involve underrepresented communities. Panelists in this session represented a mix of community engagement grant-ees and public sector partners working along multiple corridors in the region.

Regional Equity and Community EngagementModerator: Repa Mekha, President and CEO, Nexus Community Partners, and member, Corridors of

Opportunity Community Engagement Team Panelists: Janet Jeremiah, Community Development Director, City of Eden Prairie Lyssa Leitner, Transportation Planner, Washington County Va-Megn Thoj, Executive Director, Asian Economic Development Association Asad Aliweyd, Founder and Executive Director, New American Academy

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stretchesfromdowntownSt.PaultotheSt.CroixRiverBridge,generallyalongInterstate94andHudsonRoad.Unlikeothercor-ridors in the region that have been in the works for 30-plus years, con-versationsfirststartedabouttheGateway Corridor in 2009, Lyssa Leitner explained. While many older corridor projects did not provideadequateopportunityforcommunity engagement, Gateway planners understand that the po-tentialforequitabledevelopmentalong the Gateway Corridor greatly increases with early and consistent resident input.

Tothatend,theEastSideProsper-ityCampaign(ESPC)hasworkedtogatherastrongcoalitionofculturallyspecificorganizationsand placed-based community organizationstocollaborateforsustainable community change on theeastsideofSt.Paul.TheESPCwas awarded two Corridors of Op-

opportunitiesandweneedreliabletransportation.”

The New American Academy, lo-cated in Eden Prairie, serves as the onlySomali-ledinstitutionoperat-ing in the southwest area of the TwinCities’region.Theorganiza-tionisdedicatedtoservingtheEastAfricanpopulationinthisareathrough various programs includ-ingworkineducation,citizenship,housing, mentoring and tutoring, employment, civic engagement, andcitizenparticipation.

The New American Academy was awarded two Corridors of Oppor-tunity community engagement grantstotaling$70,000.Thegrantshelped fund a series of workshops and community forums to help engagetheSomalicommunityinplanning for new businesses, jobs, andhousingalongtheSouthwestlight-rail corridor.

“Weheldmorethan35meetingsinthefirstyearofthegrantineffortstomakesureourcommu-nity understood that light rail is coming to Eden Prairie and what that means to our future,” Aliweyd said.TheSomalicommunitywouldgreatlybenefitfromtheSouthwestlight-railline,hecontinued,addingthat this community is ready to embrace this as an opportunity to improvetheirqualityoflife.

Gateway Corridor TheGatewayCorridor,whichisstillbeing considered for development,

portunity community engagement grantstotaling$65,000,Leitnersaid.

ThesefundshelpedtheESPCes-tablishacoalitionoforganizationscalledEngageEastSide,whichwascreatedspecificallytoengageunderrepresentedcommunitiesininfluencingtransitplanninganddecisions, including those along the Gateway Corridor. Through two years of work, Engage EastSideconductedavarietyofactivitiestobringadiversesetofcommunity voices to discussions about transit development for theEastSide,Leitnersaid.Theseactivitiesincludedhostingawiderangeofcommunitymeetingsthatbrought a mix of varied perspec-tivestotheconversations;holdingculturally-specificconversationsabout transit through partner or-ganizations;workingwiththeUni-versityofMinnesota’sCenterforUrbanandRegionalAffairsonan

“In order for [these new immigrants] to succeed, we need good education for our children, we need affordable housing…we want to grow our job opportunities and we need reliable transportation.”

—Asad Aliweyd

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in2011,AEDAhasworkedtobuildthe capacity of small businesses along the corridor through busi-nessretentionprograms,technicalassistance,branding,marketing,and advocacy, Thoj explained. Theseeffortshelpedinfluenceanumberofbeneficialchangestothe corridor project.

Besidesprovidingfinancialas-sistance, Corridors of Opportu-nityofferedotherbenefitstohisorganization,Thojsaid,includingthechancetoworkcollaborativelywith other corridor stakeholders to betterinfluenceactionanddeci-sion making.

To wrap up this session, Mekha suggested that next steps should include anchoring the best prac-ticesgleanedfromtheCorridorsinitiativeintopolicyandgettingorganizationstobuildequity

extensive transit-related research project; and many other advocacy effortsforcomprehensivetransitdevelopmentfortheEastSide.

EngageEastSidealsojoinedwiththefourEastSideDistrictCouncilsandtheEastSideAreaBusinessAs-sociation(ESABA)asapartoftheFosteringEastSideTransitEquityConversations(FESTEC)collabora-tiveefforttodeveloporganizers,acquireresearchdata,andengageresidentsaroundtransit.FESTECwas a six-month project funded by the Ramsey County Rail Authority through a Corridors of Opportunity grant.

Central Corridor The Central Corridor route is the newlight-raillineconnectingdowntownSt.PaulandMinneapo-lis set to open for riders on June 14, 2014. The line runs on 11 miles of exclusive right-of-way between downtownSt.PaulanddowntownMinneapolis, with much of the route along University Avenue. According to Va-Megn Thoj, Asian-owned businesses make up about 15 to 20 percent of small business-esontheCentralCorridor.In2006,theAsianEconomicDevelopmentAssociation(AEDA)beganorganiz-ing these small businesses to help addressthepotentialnegativeimpactconstructionofthisLRTlinecould have on them.

Fundedinpartbya$40,000Cor-ridors of Opportunity Outreach and Engagement Grant awarded

intotheirstaffingandbudgetingprocesses.“Thesethingsdon’tjusthappen,”hesaid.“Theyrequirebeingintentional,takingrisks,andsteppingoutsideofwhatwe’recomfortable with.”

Asad Aliweyd, Lyssa Leitner

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Moderator: Russ Adams, Executive Director, Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, and member, Corridors of Opportunity Community Engagement Team Panelists: GeorgeGarnett,Director of Strategic Development, Summit Academy OIC MattKramer, President, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce KenyaMcKnight, Principal, K’MA Group, and member, Transportation Advisory Board Susan Mulvihill, Deputy Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Transportation Jennifer Munt, Metropolitan Council Member, District 3, and Public Affairs Director, AFSCME Council 5

Transportation Investment to Advance Opportunity

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improvingtheirqualityoflife,”shesaid.

Fortransittopromoteequity,“wehavetothinkabouthowwedeveloptransitinasubstantiallydifferentway,”GeorgeGarnettsaid.“Communities[ofraceandlowincome]areunderintegratedin this community and transit-limited,andtheydon’thaveaccesstojobsandtraining…Fewpeoplethink about those kinds of issues as they think of where the next transit or bus line goes,” he said. “Thesetendtobesubordinateconsiderations.Ifyoucan’tchangethatkindofprocess,thenIamconcerned that we will never use transit as a true tool to advance equity.”

Thebusinesscommunity’sfocusisefficiency,MattKramersaid.A two-inch snowstorm the day before the event had backed up trafficandmadeemployeeslate.“Businessestakeahugehitwhenworkers get to work only on high-ways or on buses that travel on highways,”hesaid.“TheBlueLine

Moderator Russ Adams set the table with opening remarks about the broader issues surrounding transportation,infrastructure,andurbangrowth.“Neverbeforehas there been a moment like this inU.S.history,”hesaid.Peopleare driving less, and younger and olderpopulationsareinterestedinwalkableandaffordableneighbor-hoods. Policymakers are beginning to deal with climate change and greenhousegasemissions.IntheTwinCities,thebusinesscom-munityissupportingthebuild-outof the transit system to connect workersandjobsmoreefficiently.

Unfortunately,theTwinCitiesmet-ro area is well behind its peers in terms of rail and bus service, and “thetransportationsystemhistori-cally has not served north Min-neapolis as well as it should have,” Adams said. North neighborhoods

A financially sustainable, world-class transportation system is vital for a thriving Twin Cities regional economy. Transportation, including transit, is also a fundamental link between people and opportunity. Panelists in this session discussed what’s needed to create this system and how it will benefit Minnesota’s citizens, workers, visitors, and businesses.

wasontimeyesterday.TheGreenLinewillbeontime.”Twomajorbusiness developments—Comcast inMinnetonkaandShutterflyinShakopee—willbeauto-depen-dent; those employers will pay a premium on snow days and be faced with more turnover because manyemployeescan’taffordtodrive there.

Kramer recommended stronger, integratedeconomicincentivestoencourage business growth in the centralcities.Suburbsalsoneedtransit for job access and business efficiency.“Thebusinesscommu-nityisnotanti-transit—infact,itisjusttheopposite,”hesaid.“The

lackofamultimodalsystemisahandicap to business growth.”

Jennifer Munt said she came to the session wearing three hats. As a member of the Metropolitan Council, Munt relayed that the council is in a new era in which it “willthinkregionallyandactequi-tably.That’sourvision.”AspublicaffairsdirectorwithAFSCME,shesaid her union represents 15,000 workers who drive, bike, or take transittobusinesses.“Toattractthe best and brightest workers, weneedtofigureoutwaystogetthem to work in an easy way,” she said. And as a former president of TransitforLivableCommunities,Munt voiced support for building a movement of people who want moreandbettertransportchoices.“It’sthepublicwillthatdrivesthepoliticalwilltogetthingsdone,”she said.

Much was weighing on Kenya McK-night’smindwhilelisteningtotheday’sconversations.“Wesufferalot,”shesaid.“Notjustbecauseit’sanissueofcolor,orofpoverty.It’s

“Communities of race and low income are underintegrated in this community and transit-limited, and they lack access to jobs and training.”

—George Garnett

“The business community is not anti-transit—in fact, it is just the opposite. The lack of a multimodal system is a handicap to business growth.”

—Matt Kramer

are demanding access to develop-ing transit corridors; their leaders think the robust infrastructure be-ing planned could lead to an urban renaissance for their area.

Adams then turned the discus-sion over to the session panelists, beginningwithSueMulvihill.“WecanbuildanythingatMnDOT…anythingthat’sconcreteandsteel,”shesaid.“Butweneedtolisten to customers and stakehold-ers and assess their needs—we can’tjustbuilditandtheywillcome.” According to Mulvihill, the department needs to assess these interests and work with partners such as the Metropolitan Council to support economic growth and systemsustainabilitywhilebetterunderstanding its impact on its customers.“Ourdepartmentiskeytoprovidingopportunities,gettingpeople where they need to be, and

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anissueofhumanity.Somehowthe cornerstone of humanity has beenleftoutofwhatitmeanstolive in an environment where ev-erybodywins,wherequalityoflifeis the value of how our world and environmentcontinuetogrow,prosper, evolve.”

McKnight said the odds were stacked against her before she was born, and the hoops are more difficulteventodayasshefightsthroughnotonly“economicdis-paritiesbutwhitesupremacyatti-tudes that challenge my right to be involved in these discussions.” McKnight’soldestniecelivesin

north Minneapolis but works at a nursing home in south Minne-apolis. A job just like it in Golden Valley pays more, but there is no bustogettoit.“Ithurtsmyheart,”shesaid.“Whileshe’sdoingwell…shedoesn’thaveaccesstoabetterjobclosertoherhouse.That’sapictureofinequity.That’sapictureofwhatregionalconnectivityshouldlooklike.Itshouldprovideher with an opportunity to get toherjob.It’sastoryofahard-working woman who should be set up for success, but lacks access to opportunities.”

Adams then launched a question-and-answer period. Building out the transit system is projected to provide30,000constructionjobsduring a 30-year period; the region expects$8billioninothercon-structionprojectsby2020.Whowillhaveaccesstothosejobs?

“Constructionrequiresthatpeoplearemobile,”Garnettsaid.“Wher-ever these jobs are in the region, people will need to get to them. I’mnotsureiftransitwillhelpthem…Idon’tknowhowthatgapgetsfilled.”

Garnettalsodiscussedeffortstoget more women and people of colorintoafieldthathasnotbeentraditionallyopentothem.Hisagency builds partnerships with MnDOT,companies,andothersto create a ladder to those op-portunities.“Wehavetohaveametrowide system that organizes …everyoneintheconstructionsectoraroundthischallenge.”Henoted that this is not just an issue ofequity:inthenextfourtofiveyears there will be a huge talent lossinconstruction,andittakesfour years to become a journey-man.

McKnight said workforce invest-mentanddevelopmentiscriticalin being able to align skills with currentandfuturejobs.“Weneed to go beyond project-based employment and look at the longrange…andlookatcareers.”Business and entrepreneurial op-

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portunitiesarealsoneeded.Shechallenged government to think aboutcontractingwithDBEs(dis-advantagedbusinessenterprises)and hiring workers who may not be union members. Union mem-bershipitselfisapoliticalissue:“Wheredowebegintoregulatethere, and push the bar, and raise union membership for people of color?”

MnDOTrequirescontractorstomeetDBEgoals,Mulvihillex-plained, but some contractors that don’tmeetthosegoalstakethedepartment to court if they are not selected.“Inthenewspaper,this

lookslikewe’rewastingtaxdollars,butwe’retryingtobeaccountabletohireDBEstoworkonprojects,”shesaid.“WewillcontinuetoholdcontractorstomeetingDBEgoals—it’sjusttherightthingtodo.”Internally,MnDOTisworkingtoattractmorepeopleofcolorandwomen.“Wearecommittedto engaging and hiring people who reflectthecommunitiesweserve,and also making sure our contrac-tors do,” she said.

Inresponsetoaquestionabouttheroleofsuburbs,Garnettsaiditiscriticalthattransitworkinbothdirections.Inthepast,transit’s

focuswasgettingthemiddleclassfrom suburb to urban core. But the economy has changed and suburbs are now economic engines with morediversifiedeconomies,sothechallenge is to get workers from coretosuburb.“That’swhatneedsto change in transit systems. The suburbshavetobeacriticalpartofthatsolution,”hesaid.

Kramer pointed out that Arden Hillshistoricallyhashadlittletran-sit access yet is home to several majoremployers(BostonScien-tific,LandO’Lakes),andthecity’sleadershipisbeginningtonoticethebenefitsoftransit.“Thereisnourbanstrategythatalsoisn’tasuburban strategy,” he said.

TheSouthwestLRTlinewillcon-nect workers in Minneapolis to jobs in Eden Prairie, Munt added. And along the line, there are 14 institutionsofhigherlearningtoprepare people for good jobs.

MnDOTandtheMetCouncilbothhave long-range plans that look at needs, gaps, and what could bedonewithadditionalfunding,Mulvihillsaid.MnDOT’sgoalistoprovide access for all people—not just drivers and transit users but also cyclists, pedestrians, and the disabled.“It’snotamatterofnotwantingtodoit,butwhendotheresources become available to doit,”shesaid.“Weneedtofindways to make smart investments.”

“To attract the best and brightest workers, we need to figure out ways to get them to work in an easy way.”

—Jennifer Munt

“We need to go beyond project-based employment and look at the long range…and look at careers.”

—Kenya McKnight

Center for Transportation Studies 200 Transportation and Safety Building511 Washington Avenue S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455-0375Phone: 612-626-1077 E-mail: cts@umn.edu Web: cts.umn.edu

Writing: Nancy Strege, Amy Friebe, Pam SnoplPhotography: Michael McCarthy: pp. 1, 3–5, 10, 15, 18. Metropolitan Council: cover, pp. ii, 6, 12–13, 16. Michelle Riedel: pp. 7–8, 11–12, 16, 19. Nicola Harger: p. 9. Editing: Pamela Snopl Design: Sarah Johnson, Abbey KleinertThe University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.This publication is available in alternative formats, if requested. Recycled paper with 30% postconsumer waste.