When North Minneapolis was separated and isolated by highways it was a big deal, and similarly, we need big ideas and plans to reverse that tragedy in order to address the housing needs of the current and future residents. Below, I have listed some ideas that I thought about as long- and short-term solutions. They do not necessarily need to be taken at face value, but I hope … [Read more...]
How committed is new mayor to Minneapolis affordable housing?
Good to see the MN Spokesman-Recorder keeping the homeless crisis on the front page with Charles Hallman's article, "Advocates use Super Bowl to highlight housing crisis," (February 1-7). But the approach talked about in the article is shortsighted. For organizations to pay peoples’ rent without holding landlords accountable is a form of codependence. Currently, landlords … [Read more...]
The ever-present threat of gentrification and persistent lack of affordable housing
On a handful of occasions I have used this column to discuss the issue of affordable housing, as well as its troubling relationship to the trend of gentrification. In one such article, I used the city of Portland, Oregon as something of a case study. I suggested that Portland’s fate raises a number of concerns relative to the Twin Cities and its low-income communities, … [Read more...]